I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in saying the new Qatar track is awesome to drive on this year’s game. With loads of flowing medium and high speed flat out corners, it’s a real test of driving skill and precision, and it feels really satisfying to put together a good lap there.
With only really one low speed corner and the rest being medium-high speed at Qatar, it’s a medium-high downforce circuit despite the long pit straight. You’re running similar wing levels to what you’d run at Spain on F1 23.
Here’s a general baseline dry race setup for Qatar for a controller user:
- Wings – 36/38
- Diff – 50/55
- Camber – -2.50/-1.00/0.00/0.10
- Suspension – 41-14-12-4-34-38
- Brakes – 100 Pressure/55 Bias
- Tyre pressures – Minimum front and rear
This setup is partially taken from the SimRacingSetups YouTube channel Qatar setup, but with quite a big wing modification for pad users, since he uses a wheel and setups don’t translate 100% over to a controller.
You can also try using your Spain setup if you’ve found one that works for you, since this setup seems to translate quite well over to the Losail circuit at Qatar.
As with most of the tracks on F1 23, you’re having to use a lower wing level than the pure single lap times might suggest to stay competitive in races and avoid being unable to overtake or defend properly.
Detailed Setup Considerations
Wing levels
Wing levels actually seem to vary quite a lot for different players for Qatar on this game, and it’s possible to achieve good lap times using anything from mid 30s wings to mid 40s wings.
I started using 36/38 wings, found faster lap times using 41/43 wings, but I’m still using 36/38 because any higher and I constantly getting pestered by the AI on the long straight, and it ruined my race strategy.
Therefore, experiment with wings from 35 to 45 and pick what works for you, but realise that higher wings will leave you vulnerable on the long pit straight. Where possible, find an optimal wing level for your own single lap pace, but then drop it a few clicks to stay competitive in the race.
Or you can see it like this:
- If you’re confident in your pace and being able to pull away at the front and break DRS, then set higher wings in the 40s
- If you’re going to be stuck in the pack and in the DRS train, use lower wings in the 30s to protect yourself on the straight.
Wing spread
Some players really spread the wings out a long way for Qatar, something like 45-38 wings. But this is mainly wheel users that seem to be doing this and I find that unusable on a controller.
I need the wings level or even the rear a bit higher than the front for good stability and traction. Experiment with what works for you on a pad, but getting good drive out of corners is crucial for lap times on F1 23, so a car that over-rotates because the wings are too far apart is not good.
Intermediate Conditions
As with the other tracks in the middle east, you won’t ever get rain 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, you’ll almost never race in the wet here, but try adding around 4-6 clicks to the wing angles for better cornering and stability. With all the high speed corners, the already important downforce becomes even more important in full wet conditions, and straight line speed a bit less important with the disabled DRS. I’d also put the rear wing 3 clicks above the front wing when using a controller, for more stability and traction.
Here would be the full wet controller setup I’d use at Qatar
- Wings – 41/44
- Diff – 50/55
- Camber – -2.50/-1.00/0.00/0.10
- Suspension – 28-8-8-1-40-43
- Brakes – 95 Pressure/55 Bias
- Tyres – Minimum pressures front & rear
See our guide on converting dry setups to wet setups for more detailed information on this.
Other Setup Sites
The setups given here are just baseline pad setups – something usable that you may have to tweak depending on driving style. And since players are still learning this new track, and there’s different setup routes you can go down, here are some more setup resources you can check out for this track on F1 23:
- F1laps.com Qatar 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.
Bonus Tips For Racing Here
Qatar is a really demanding circuit that tests nearly all aspects of the car’s handling, but also overall resources (ERS, fuel, tyres). Here are a few additional tips for racing around this fantastic new track.
Practice programs bugged – Be aware that as of the time of writing, no setup you use will allow you to pass the practice programs at Qatar in career mode. Don’t worry, it’s not the setup you’re using; it’s the practice programs that are bugged and still haven’t been fixed up to and including the 1.09 game update. Therefore they’re basically impossible to beat at Qatar right now as well as Las Vegas. So don’t pay so much attention to the practice programme deltas and measure times relative to your team mate in race/qualifying simulation runs to see where you are pace-wise.
Tyre wear – The tyres wear out very quickly at Qatar and red soft tyre is not really a usable race tyre in races of 50% distance or more. You need to do medium-hard for longer races, and sometimes even that is pushing it. Keep an eye on tyre wear towards the end of longer stints – 70% or above wear and you’re in potential puncture territory.
ERS (race) – Battery boost runs out extremely quickly at Qatar and is hard to replenish. With only one real heavy braking zone and high downforce levels, it’s very hard to recoup the ERS once you’ve used it, so be very sparing with it.
ERS (qualifying) – Your ERS boost runs out so quickly here that you cannot even deploy it on a single qualifying lap without running out in a GP/online car. You actually need to turn it off for a few corners in a quali lap to save it for the pit straight. Pick a few slower corners to turn off your ERS on a quali lap if needed – I usually do it on the turn 4/5 right handers. Moreover, this problem remains even in career mode with a fully upgraded ERS.
Fuel usage – Is higher than normal at Qatar so be careful with starting fuel load – you can’t go as low as other tracks. I just nearly got caught out doing a career race there and running out of fuel. Whatever fuel you’d use on a normal track, add a few clicks.
Tyre allocation – On F1 23, this round is actually designated as a Sprint format weekend in the career calendar. Therefore, you’ve only got one practice session before you’re straight into qualifying with “parc ferme” locked setups. It’s advised to go for the Harder tyre allocation before the weekend starts, since this frees up softer tyres in the first practice session to get ready for the qualifying straight after.
Pit strategy – Overtaking is very hard around Qatar. Basically, if all cars are running roughly the same wing levels, then your only real way to overtake without a car in front making a mistake is through the pit stops. Therefore the undercut can be useful, but tyre wear is also high, so you might get caught out in your second stint if you pit too early. Consider pitting early to overtake cars in front, but not too early.
