Our pro F1 26 car setups are created to help you become faster in this year's Formula 1 game, including optimised meta setups, strategies, ERS maps, lap analysis and more.
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All of the F1 26 car setups above can be used on PC, Xbox and PlayStation. Follow the tips below to start using the setup and improving your lap times.
Watch our hotlaps and track guides for F1 26 Monaco and all other F1 26 tracks.
F1 26 HotlapsHere is our recommended F1 26 Monaco setup video. This car setup has been created for the Circuit de Monaco using dry conditions, and is designed to be a better-than-preset setup, ideal for career modes and longer races. It can be used with any team in F1 26, and in any mode including MyTeam, Career and F1 World.
Read our F1 26 Monaco car setup guideMonaco is the one circuit in F1 26 where car setup and driving precision matter more than anywhere else. To be competitive at the Monaco Grand Prix, you need maximum downforce, soft suspension to handle the bumps and kerbs, and an open differential to manage slow corner exits.
Qualifying performance is everything here because overtaking is nearly impossible once the race begins.
The streets of Monte Carlo are unforgiving. The barriers are close on every corner, the track is narrow throughout, and there is almost no room to recover from a mistake. In the F1 2026 Season Pack, Monaco demands a very specific approach.
You run more downforce here than at any other circuit, and you drive with more patience than anywhere else. Pushing beyond the limit at Monaco does not gain you time. It puts you in the wall.
Turn 1, Saint Devote, opens the lap with a tight right-hander. Brake just before the 100m board. The fronts lock easily here so be gentle with the pedal. Prioritise a clean exit above everything else. You need a good run up the hill toward Beau Rivage. Use a slight lift through the climb and keep the car planted.
Turns 3 and 4, Massenet and Casino Square, are a fast flowing left-hander into a trickier right. Stay tight throughout and trust your downforce. The wall on the outside of Casino juts out and has caught many drivers out. Do not run wide here.
Turns 5 and 6, Mirabeau and the Grand Hotel Hairpin, are two of the slowest corners at Monaco. Brake early for Mirabeau and do not overcommit to the entry. The Hairpin requires full lock in first gear. Smooth throttle and genuine patience are the only way through here. Any wheelspin on exit will cost you significantly through the next section.
Turns 7 and 8, Portier, are important for what comes next. Get a clean exit and stay off the outside wall. Portier feeds directly into the tunnel, and any imbalance through here carries into the fastest section of the lap.
The tunnel run is flat-out. Watch your line carefully because the surface changes slightly inside and grip levels can feel different. Brake hard on exit for the Nouvelle Chicane at Turns 9 and 10. Stay tight, avoid cutting too aggressively as track limits are enforced, and get on the power early.
Turn 11, Tabac, is a high-speed left-hander that needs a slight lift and full commitment. It rewards bravery but punishes overconfidence.
Turns 12 to 14, the Swimming Pool section, require just enough braking to rotate the car before each direction change. Use the kerbs to help but do not attack them aggressively. The barriers through here are extremely close and there is no margin for error.
Turns 15 to 19, Rascasse and Antony Noghes, close the lap. Brake early into Rascasse and balance the throttle carefully on exit. Antony Noghes, the final corner, is the most important of the lap. A clean exit here feeds directly onto the main straight. Get it right every time.
Monaco asks for a very specific car setup that is unlike almost anything else in the F1 26 calendar. Here is our recommended approach for the streets of Monte Carlo.
| Setup Area | Recommended Setting |
|---|---|
| Aerodynamics | Maximum downforce across the board. Top speed is irrelevant at Monaco. Cornering grip and stability are everything |
| Transmission | An open on-throttle differential prevents wheelspin on the slow corner exits that appear throughout the entire lap |
| Suspension | Soft suspension is essential to manage the bumps, kerbs, and uneven street circuit surface that define Monaco |
| Brakes | High brake pressure gives you the stopping power you need, but inputs must be gentle to avoid the front lockups that are easy to trigger here |
| Ride Height | Run a slightly raised ride height to prevent the car from bottoming out on the bumps through Rascasse and the Swimming Pool |
Monaco is the one circuit in the F1 2026 Season Pack where qualifying matters more than race strategy. Overtaking on the streets of Monte Carlo is genuinely rare. Starting position defines your race almost completely. Put everything into one-lap pace in qualifying.
For the race itself, a one-stop strategy is standard at Monaco. A Medium to Hard is the most common approach. Tyre wear is relatively low compared to other circuits because of the slow corner speeds and the limited lateral loads through the faster sections.
Safety cars are extremely common at Monaco. Stay alert to the pit window around any safety car period and be ready to react immediately. A well-timed stop under a safety car at Monaco can recover multiple positions that would otherwise be impossible to gain on track.
ERS deployment is most effective out of Portier onto the tunnel section and out of Antony Noghes onto the main straight. These are the two longest acceleration zones on the lap and the areas where the additional speed from ERS has the most tangible impact.
Every corner at Monaco is taken at relatively low speed, and cornering grip is the only performance variable that matters here. With maximum downforce, the car is more planted, more predictable, and easier to control close to the barriers. The small straight sections between corners are too short for top speed to make any meaningful difference to your lap time. There is simply nothing to gain from reducing downforce at Monaco and a great deal to lose.
It is one of the most important, but Antony Noghes at the end of the lap arguably has more impact on overall lap time. The Hairpin is the slowest corner on the circuit and a classic spot for mistakes, but a smooth exit from Antony Noghes sets up your speed for the main straight and directly affects the following lap’s approach to Saint Devote. Both corners deserve serious attention in your practice sessions.
Monaco puts more pressure on braking discipline than almost any other circuit because the consequences of a lockup are so severe. High brake pressure is necessary for the stopping distances involved, but the inputs must be smooth and progressive rather than sharp and aggressive. A slightly forward brake bias helps with initial stopping power while keeping the rear settled. Trail braking into corners like Saint Devote and the Chicane also helps the car rotate without relying on a sudden, heavy brake application that is more likely to produce a lockup.
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