The Shanghai International Circuit, also known the home of the Chinese Grand Prix, has been added to F1 22. Here is our F1 22 Chinese Grand Prix Setup Guide for beginners.
After Portimão was added to F1 22 just over a month ago, Codemasters and EA followed up by releasing another late addition to the circuit roster. The Shanghai International Circuit, which has bene the host of the Chinese Grand Prix since the venue was completed in 2004, hasn’t seen F1 action since 2019.
This absence was due to the pandemic, and the circuit is scheduled to return in 2023. In the meantime, though, those who miss the bunny on skis can relive classics such as the 2018 Chinese Grand Prix in F1 22. However, to really enjoy the experience, you need a great setup. That’s where we come in.
F1 22 Chinese Grand Prix Setup Guide: Aerodynamics and Transmission
When it comes to the Shanghai International Circuit, the most dominant feature is its massive back straight. What’s more, the pit straight and several other flat-out sections make for a track that rewards a lower downforce setup.
However, one cannot go ‘full Monza’ here, as the long radius corners and tight hairpins require a certain degree of aerodynamic grip. To create this balance, we opted for wing levels of 11-27. This way, you won’t lose out on the straights, will simultaneously being able to handle the twists and turns. The higher rear wing angle also makes for a more stable rear end during the traction phase.
As for the transmission, we have found that 80% on throttle and 100% off gives you a car which is smooth when it comes to laying the power down. If you find yourself struggling with a twitchy rear end on the exit of low-speed corners, consider altering your on throttle differential setting before anything else. The effect isn’t huge, but it can be enough to make the difference.
Suspension Geometry
Suspension geometry features both the camber and toe of your wheels. While the effects of these aspects can be quite significant, it is often best to keep it simple – especially if you are prioritising drivability over raw pace.
As such, we recommend taking your camber settings all the way to the right-hand side of the sliders. With these values of -2.50 at the front and -1.00 at the rear, you should find your car to be reliable and stable in mid-corner scenarios.
Meanwhile, for your toe, we almost always recommend running 0.05 at the front, and 0.50 at the rear. This is because, at most circuits, this provides you with the greatest sense of trust in the rear of your car during traction. In China, this is even more important than at most other tracks. The front toe value has very little overall effect, but the rear toe is very helpful indeed.
Suspension
Probably the single most crucial page in the setup menu is the suspension tab. Here you can alter the stiffness of your suspension and anti-roll bars, as well as adjusting the ride height. Softer suspension settings tend to result in a less twitchy car, though they do sacrifice some initial ‘bite’ on turn-in. We consider this a worthy sacrifice to make, especially over a full race distance. As such, 1-1 suspension stiffness settings are our recommendation.
The anti-roll bar settings were particularly difficult to get right in Shanghai. In the end, we settled for a much softer overall setup than usual, running 2-4. This can cause some issues during the long turn one, but the stability payoff makes it worthwhile, in our opinion. If you are struggling with mid-corner understeer, consider raising these values.
Then there is the ride height. There are a couple of kerbs you want to ride in Shanghai, so it’s best not to run the car as low as possible. Instead, settings of 4-7 give you the clearance you need. Naturally, this comes at a cost of some extra drag down the main straight, so if you have confidence in your ability to avoid the nastier kerbs, you can run a lower car.
F1 22 China Setup Guide: Brakes and Tyres
Towards the end of the setup, things get a bit simpler. For your brakes, we always recommend a brake pressure of 100%, as this gives you the highest potential braking output. That being said, it can cause issues. If you don’t have a delicate touch on the brake pedal, lowering this value can help avoid lock-ups.
Similarly, running a brake bias of 50% also helps to avoid locking up. This is particularly important in Shanghai, where there are several heavy braking zones in which front locking can be a major issue. As such, sharing the workload with the rear brakes is a good idea.
Finally, we get to the tyre pressures. Here we decided to take a middle ground, running 23.8psi for the fronts and 21.8psi for the rears. This should give you good overall mechanical grip without causing your tyres to overheat. However, if you find that your tyres are consistently overheating, the best thing to do is to run lower tyre pressures. If it’s only one tyre giving you trouble, take that value down specifically.
Read More: F1 22 Bahrain Setup Guide
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