The Bahrain circuit is now well established on the F1 calendar, having a strong presence for almost 20 years now. And it’s a fan favourite for racing too, delivering good wheel to wheel action.
In terms of race car setups, you might think that lower downforce setups might be the way to go because there are quite a few medium length straights and 3 DRS zones. In previous games, that was true, but on F1 23, that doesn’t seem to be where the lap time is found.
Most players are using a medium-high level of downforce for Bahrain on F1 23.
Here’s a general baseline dry race setup for Bahrain for a controller user:
- Wings – 36/38
- Diff – 50 On/55 Off
- Camber/Toe – -2.50/-1.00/0.00/0.10
- Suspension – 15-10-9-1-37-40
- Brakes – 100% Pressure/57% Bias
- Tyre Pressures – 22.3 Fronts/20.2 Rears
(RRLL is just shorthand for top two all the way to the right, bottom two all the way to the left for Camber/Toe settings – a very common configuration you’ll see a lot on these games)
This setup is partially adapted from the this YouTube channel, but amended for controller users as he uses a wheel. Huge credit to this guy the great setups he provides.
More Setup Details
Here are some extra notes regarding the Bahrain race setup.
Wings
It’s a surprisingly high level of front/rear wing for Bahrain, but having that downforce really helps in corners and the twisty middle sector and delivers the best lap times. You can try lowering the wings a few clicks for better speed on the straights for overtaking/defending in races.
I just found better quali and race lap times dropping down to 34/36 wings with a well upgraded car in career mode. But a stock GP online car is different, and on F1 23 you’ll find this can really hurt in the corners and in sector 2. But experiment with wings in the 37 to 34 range to see what works for you. Using a pad on this game, you need to avoid using wings that over-rotate the car and stop you getting on the traction out of slow corners.
Qualifying
Try bringing the wings closer together for sharper turn in. Perhaps try 36/37 or even 36/36 for better cornering (I just did well with 35/36 wings in Quali with a career mode car). For me though using a controller, I do generally prefer having the rear wing 1-2 clicks above the front wing for good stability and traction out of corners.
You can raise them for better single lap pace, but this is likely to really hurt you in the race with the long straights and 3 DRS zones. You’re likely to be overtaken if you set wings too high.
Tyre Pressures
Set very low for this tracks as tyres are very prone to overheating, especially the red soft tyre. If you’re still struggling even with these pressures, reduce them to minimum and avoid using the soft tyre altogether.
Intermediate Conditions
Won’t ever get this in career mode, but if sometimes sticks on wet weather in an online lobby for fun, the dry setup will work OK in intermediate conditions. Or try bumping the wing up a few clicks.
Full Wet Conditions
Again very rare to ever race in the wet at Bahrain, but try adding around 5-6 clicks to the wing angles for better cornering and stability. I’d also put the rear wing 3 clicks above the front wing for more stability and traction. Check out SimRacingSetups Full Wet Bahrain setup for a more precisely tuned setup, but be aware he uses a wheel.
Here would be the full wet controller setup I’d use on a pad at Bahrain:
- Wings – 41/44
- Diff – 50/55
- Camber – -2.50/-1.00/0.00/0.10
- Suspension – 15-7-7-1-40-43
- Brakes – 95 Pressure/55 Bias
- Tyres – Minimum or close to it front & rear
More Race Setup Resources
These are generic template starting setups to give you something to work with and tweak to your preference. They’re also designed for stability in a race, not outright pace in Time Trial.
If you’re looking for more precisely calibrated and tuned setups for F1 23 for Bahrain for dry/wet conditions, plus Time Trial, plus for all the individual cars as well, check out these resources:
- F1laps.com Bahrain 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
To be fair, Bahrain is a pretty straightforward track to race on, and there isn’t a great deal more to add, but here are some racings tips and suggestions for Bahrain.
Tyres
Bahrain is a rear limited track, meaning the rear tyres wear out the most, and are most prone to overheating because of all the traction zones. Be careful and progressive on the throttle and set a low On Throttle Differential level for best traction.
Degradation is also high, meaning you only get a couple of good laps out of new tyres, then pace falls off quite a lot. “Undercuts” (pitting a few laps early for fresh tyres to overtake someone in front of you) can be very powerful for this reason.
ERS
Be very careful and sparing with ERS during races at Bahrain, since the higher downforce most players use here on F1 23 means ERS runs out even more quickly, and is even harder to replenish. Be strategic and play the long game, saving your ERS for when it’s really needed (overtaking, defending, getting into DRS range, in laps/out laps).
It you use it all up on the first few laps, it’s harder to recoup at Bahrain, though there are some heavy braking zones that mean it’s not as hard as some other tracks.
