The Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi is now well established, having been on the calendar since 2009. And it seems reasonably popular on the F1 games, especially since the 2022 revamping, which modified the layout to a much more flowing, high speed version of the circuit.

Setting your car up for Abu Dhabi has always been a compromise between the straight line speed required on the 2 long DRS straights, and the downforce/grip needed in the more twisty sectors 1 and 3. Overall, most setups round here run medium downforce.

Here’s a general baseline dry race setup for Abu Dhabi for a controller user:

• Wings – 28/30
• Diff – 50/55
• Camber – -2.50/-1.00/0.03/0.14
• Suspension –  26-8-7-2-34-37
• Brakes – 100 Pressure/55 Bias
• Tyre pressures – Fronts 22.4/Rears 20.1

This setup is partially adapted from the excellent SimRacingSetups channel’s setup, but modified and adapted for a pad user, since wheel setups don’t translate right over to a controller and need some tweaking.

Additional Setup Considerations

Here’s some extra analysis and considerations when developing your own optimal race setup for Abu Dhabi.

Wing Levels

Car setups have always needed a decent level of straight line speed at this track because of the two long DRS zones in sector 2.

Run wings too high and you’ll be a sitting duck on the straights, especially with how powerful and DRS/ERS/slipstream combo is on F1 23. I found 28 to be a good wing level providing enough acceleration but also good cornering speed, but go as low as you can with wings while still maintaining good lap times.

I also got good times using 32/34 wings, but I was too slow on the straights using this setup. Ideally, find your own wing levels that deliver optimal single lap pace, but then drop them 2-3 clicks for better results in the race. Using lower wing levels definitely comes back to you over a longer race on F1 23 (see video just below).

Lower wing settings over-powered on F1 23 – demonstrated

Wing Spacing

When using a controller, it’s important to find an optimal spacing of the front/rear wing so the car doesn’t over-rotate with the very responsive pad handling, especially out of that tricky chicane that separates the 2 DRS zones.

This is where pad setups can differ from wheel setups, which often run aggressive wing spacings which are much harder to use on a controller. At Abu Dhabi, I use my normal spacing of setting the rear wing 2 clicks above the front wing for better stability, especially over longer races as the rear tyres start to wear and traction gets more difficult.

Qualifying vs Race

This is a tricky one, because I found I could get much better single lap qualifying pace using 32/34 wings, but this will leave you really vulnerable to overtakes in the race. I had better race pace using 28/30 wings. It’s up to you whether you prioritise Quali or the race, but if you’ve got confidence in being able to break away from the pack and out of DRS range in the first few laps, 32/34 wings can also work for better Qualifying pace.

Tyre Temps

The rear tyres especially are especially prone to overheating here with the track temps and the corner sequences, so keep temps low to mitigate this in longer races. The rear tyres are especially sensitive to this (keep pressures at minimum or almost there), but the front tyres also need to be managed.

Intermediate Conditions

You’re never going to get rain here in career mode, but if someone sticks on wet weather in an online lobby, I would recommending just using your dry setup, or adding 1-2 clicks of wing if desired for more grip in sectors 1 and 3.

Full Wet Conditions

Again very rare to ever race Yas Marina in the wet, but I’d add 3-4 clicks of wing front and rear, and also put the rear wing 3 clicks above the front for better stability and traction full wet conditions. Soften your suspension and raise your ride height, and definitely move your On Throttle Diff down to 50 if not already there for best traction.

Here would be the full wet controller setup I’d use at Abu Dhabi:

• Wings 32/35
• Diff – 50/55
• Camber – -2.50/-1.00/0.00/0.10
• Suspension –  22-7-7-1-37-40
• Brakes – 95 Pressure/55 Bias
• Tyre pressures – Fronts 22.4/Rears minimum

Other Setup Resources

You can do down different routes for car setup at Abu Dhabi, especially with the wing levels. You can go for bullet like speed on the straights, or better speed in the corners, so here are some different setup resources to check out:

• F1laps.com Abu Dhabi page– Another car setup forum with pages for every track, and loads of custom setups posted, both TT and race, all cars, all conditions.
• F1gamesetup.com – An even more specialized resource with custom setups, every car and every track, wet and dry weather.

Tips For Racing Here

Here are some additional considerations and tips for racing around the Yas Marina Circuit:

Traction – Achieving good long run pace round here is all about maintaining good traction, even when the rear tyres start to wear during longer stints. Whilst you can go more aggressive with your wing spacing for better turn in and lap times, this will be harder to control with worn tyres, especially on a controller which is very responsive on F1 23.

Tyre Strategy – The red soft tyre isn’t really usable in 50% races, so you’re looking at the Medium-Hard or hard-Medium strategy round here, with the former usually preferable. Also, tyre degradation is high, meaning pace falls off a lot after your first few good laps on new tyres, especially on softs and mediums. So the “undercut” – where you pit early to gain the advantage of fresh tyres – is quite powerful round here. Consider if it you’re stuck behind a bunch of cars and are struggling to overtake on track.