Baku is one of the weirdest, and in some ways most challenging, tracks in F1 22. Here is our F1 22 Baku setup guide for beginners to help you get to grips with the streets.
Of all the many venues on the Formula 1 calendar, the Baku City Circuit in Azerbaijan is perhaps the most unique of all. Not only does it see drivers racing through tight streets that can only be rivalled by the likes of Monaco and Singapore, it also boasts some of the highest peak speeds of any circuit.
Naturally, this combination of tight and twisty corners with some of the longest flat-out sections in the world means that any setup you use will be a trade-off. It’s not easy to nail the setup at Baku in F1 22, so here is our beginner-friendly guide to help.
Baku F1 22: Aerodynamics and Transmission
First off in any F1 22 setup is the aerodynamics page. Here, you can adjust your wing angles to alter the overall levels of downforce and drag your car will have. At Baku, it’s of the utmost importance that you don’t run a draggy car. If you do, you will find yourself a sitting duck at the end of the main straight.
Therefore, I recommend you run a front wing angle of 5 with a slightly heftier rear wing angle of 10. This way, you keep a little bit of aerodynamic grip without sacrificing your drag profile too much. You should still find yourself with plenty of speed down the straights, and the higher rear wing will help provide smoother acceleration in the traction zones.
As for the transmission settings, I’ve found that opting for 55% for both the on-throttle and off-throttle settings gives you reliable power transfer to the rear wheels. Additionally, running an unlocked transmission setup such as this one, helps to limit rear tyre wear – crucial in Baku.
Suspension Geometry
When it comes to the suspension geometry section of the setup, the following settings always provide you with a reliable, drivable car.
I recommend running the front and rear camber sliders all the way to the right-hand side. By going with -2.50 at the front and -1.00 at the rear, you can limit tyre heating and wear. Furthermore, Baku doesn’t have many long corners in which more negative camber would benefit you.
Meanwhile for the toe settings, I have found that 0.05 at the front and 0.50 at the rear is almost always the best combination in F1 22. The impact of the front toe setting is minimal, but the rear toe setting gives your car a steady rear end.
Suspension
Next up, we have one of the most difficult parts of the setup: the suspension. There are six different aspects of this page of the setup menu, and all of them are quite important.
First and foremost is the most important aspect of all. For your suspension stiffness, I recommend going in a different direction to what I would suggest at most circuits. Namely, Baku rewards a stiffer rear suspension compared to the front. By running 1-4 for your suspension, you’ll have plenty of rear end rotation for the many 90-degree corners of Baku. It does require you to exercise a little more caution than usual to prevent spins, but the payoff is worth it.
As with many parts of this setup, I prioritise stability with the anti-roll bar settings. To get the best results for a reliable, predictable car, I suggest running 10-1.
Then, for your ride height, it’s important to try and keep a low profile. A car that is raised too high off of the ground will be draggy, costing you top end speed. However, there are some significant kerbs in Baku which you will need to navigate, so you can’t simply pin the car to the ground. As such, I recommend 7-5 as a happy compromise.
Brakes and Tyres
In F1 22, I always recommend running with 100% brake pressure. This way, you will always have the maximum potential output from your brakes. However, having such potent brake disks can make it more difficult to avoid lockups. The best way to deal with this problem is to adjust the brake bias rearwards so that your front tyres aren’t having to do all the work. As such, a 50% brake bias should do the trick.
Finally, we have the tyre pressures. Here, I elected not to rock the boat and to run with fairly basic values of 24.0psi on the fronts and 22.0psi for the rears. However, if you find yourself running consistently high tyre temperatures, then you should consider lowering these values. This is the easiest way to help you control your tyres.
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