Car setup is an important part of optimizing performance during a race weekend in F1 23. Given the immense variety of tracks spread across the world and visited during an F1 season calendar, it should come as little surprise to players that some tracks will have vastly different requirements than others.
There are two main focuses when it comes to altering car setup, and these are Top Speed and Downforce. Top Speed will determine the car's maximum speed along straights, with the car being as aerodynamic as possible and producing little drag. Downforce is the opposite, and increased downforce will seek to maximize drag, making for easier and faster turning through corners at the expense of straight-line speed.
Basic Setup
During a race weekend, there will be many opportunities to alter a car's setup and make adjustments if necessary. The game will automatically switch to the suggested setup, but of course with varying driving styles and objectives for the race, it is always useful to make additional tweaks so that the car will drive as smoothly as possible.
From the initial office screen where the player can select which session they wish to advance to, as well as view additional information such as weather reports and championship standings, players can make adjustments to their setup by navigating to the small spanner icon along the top of the screen. This icon will also be visible when the player is sitting in their car in the garage awaiting their first run of qualifying. From the Session Info screen, the spanner icon will again be present and players can use this to make any last minute tweaks or setup changes before Parc Fermé rules forbid any further alterations.
Advanced Setup
For players looking to make more in-depth setup adjustments, there are additional options available in the Advanced tab at the bottom of the screen. These can range from Suspension Geometry to Tyre Pressure and are really only for experienced players looking to gain every competitive margin imaginable.
For most players, it will not be necessary to make any advanced alterations, but it can be fun in practice sessions to experiment with these options and see which settings work best around certain tracks. For players using a steering wheel rather than a controller, these setup changes are likely to be considerably more noticeable, and the more force feedback a player is able to experience, the easier it will be to determine which alterations are suitable and which ones are not.
Parc Fermé
Alterations to the car's setup can only be made once after the commencement of the race weekend's first qualifying session. According to F1 23's Parc Fermé rules, minor changes can still be made, but nothing that will drastically change the car's performance in the way that a complete setup alteration might do.
This is another reason that it can be beneficial to complete practice sessions in order to gain some familiarity with the track and experiment with different setup options. Unlike engine or gearbox replacements which will result in a penalty and potential grid-drop placement, Parc Fermé conditions will simply forbid the player from making setup changes entirely, though minor adjustments can be made during the race, such as rear wing adjustments and brake bias.
F1 23 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
