The Silverstone circuit in Great Britain has been one of the few tracks to be on the F1 calendar in some form since the inception of the F1 World Championship. And it appears as normal on the F1 23 game, with the new updated layout that’s been in use since 2010.

Some people prefer the old layout that was used until 2009, but I’ve always personally preferred the newer layout. It’s a long track but because it’s super high speed, but you feel like you peel the laps off in no time. You’re on full throttle for a large amount of the lap, but there are also high speed cornering section that need strong aerodynamic downforce.

Therefore, most car setups round here run medium downforce.

Here is an F1 23 race setup for Great Britain for a controller user:

• Wings – 23/25
• Diff – 50/55
• Camber – -2.50/-1.50/0.00/0.10
• Suspension –  28-8-8-1-33-35
• Brakes – 100 Pressure/56 Bias
• Tyre pressures –Fronts 22.6/Rears 20.2

You’re basically balancing out the need for downforce in the high speed cornering sections in sectors 1 and 2 especially, with the need for straight line speed in the DRS zones and through most of sector 2 until you reach the Maggots/Becketts “esses”.

This setup is taken and adapted from the excellent SimRacingSetups channel, but modded for a pad user as wing levels/spacing doesn’t translate over from a wheel to a controller, and needs some tweaking.

Additional Setup Considerations

Here’s some additional thoughts on creating a race setup for Great Britain.

Wing levels

It’s possible to get strong single lap pace for sure using higher wing levels in the high 20s or even the low 30s, but straight line speed in general is overpowered on this game and using lower wings tends to pay off in longer races.

You’ve got two longish DRS zones here and the ERS/DRS/slipstream combo exiting onto the second DRS zone “Hangar Straight” is insanely powerful. That’s why I go for lower wing levels in the mid 20s. Find your own optimum, and consider dropping it down a few clicks for better race pace.

Low downforce OP on F1 23 – demonstrated

Wing spacing

This is another important mod that’s required for pad users. A lot of aggressive/wheel setups place the rear wing lower than the front for stronger turn in, but I find this unworkable on a pad.

The car over-rotates and is too unstable doing this on a pad, so I have to invert this and put the rear wing higher than the front by 2 clicks for better stability, especially on worn tyres when traction gets a lot more tricky.

Play around with wing levels/spacing from the low to high 20s, but my own race pace sweet spot was 23/25 wings (25/27 also delivered decent pace for me, but I always go lower with wings when I can on F1 23. You need that extra straight line speed to overtake/defend, especially against the AI).

Intermediate Conditions

For intermediate light rain conditions, your dry setup can work fine, but you can also add 1-2 clicks of wing if preferred for extra downforce.

However, Silverstone is definitely one of the those tracks where it’s advised to put the rear wing 3 clicks about the front for better stability and traction in the wet on a controller.

Over-rotation is a nightmare in the wet when using a pad on this game, so space your wings further apart for more stability (the pad seems over-powered in the wet anyway on F1 23, so you can focus on stability and consistency and still have strong pace).

Full Wet Conditions

Full heavy rain conditions where you’re using the full wet tyre, you might need to raise your wings a bit more for the high speed cornering section.

Add 3-5 clicks of wing to your dry setup, and space the rear wing 3 clicks above the front for better stability and easier traction out of corners.

Lower your On Throttle Differential down to 50 if it isn’t already there, soften your suspension and raise your ride height a few clicks.

Here’s a baseline full wet controller race setup for Silverstone:

• Wings – 27/30
• Diff – 50/55
• Camber – -2.50/-1.00/0.00/0.10
• Suspension –  26-6-6-1-36-39
• Brakes – 95 Pressure/54 Bias
• Tyre pressures –Fronts 22.4/Rears 20.0.

Again, you need a setup that can allow you to get on the throttle more easily out of corners – pick whatever wing spacing gives you the right amount of rotation (not too much and not too little).

Extra Setup Resources

This setup is designed to a stable and consistent race setup. If you’re looking for more aggressive single lap pace setups, or fine tuned ones for specific cars, here are some other F1 23 car setup resources to check out:

• F1laps.com Silverstone 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.

More Tips For Driving Round Here

Here are some extra tips and best practices for racing around this great track.

ERS – It’s not the worst circuit on the calendar, but ERS runs out quite quick here as you’re on full throttle for much of the lap, there aren’t many heavy braking zones to recoup. Use lower wings when possible, stay in DRS trains to conserve ERS, and use sparingly.

Fuel – Similar to ERS, this circuit uses more fuel than average. You’re on full throttle for a long time, and even when you’re braking, you’re mostly back on the throttle quickly. Put 5 clicks more fuel in than normal to avoid getting caught out.