The Singapore street circuit has actually been changed for the F1 2023 season, and it also dropped in the 1.10 update of F1 23 of late August 2023. Therefore it’s a slightly new layout, and any setups you’ve got for the old layout may need tweaking.
That’s what we’re going to cover in this guide, giving a race setup for a controller user for the new, updated layout of the Singapore street circuit, which features a modified sector 3, with the old chicane removed.
What used to be a fiddly, right-left-left-right chicane section underneath the grandstand is now just one medium length straight, before you hit the final right-left chicane and finish the lap. See here for more on the track changes.
Therefore, the track is now faster and more flowing, with 2 slow speed traction zones gone, and lap times possibly 6-7 seconds faster than on the old layout. That would suggest that lower wing angles might be needed on this new layout to give some extra straight line speed.
But honestly, I can’t personally find any more pace by dropping the wing angles, despite the extra medium length straight and the fewer slow speed corners. Therefore, I’m basically continuing to use my old setup for the new circuit.
Here’s my race setup for the updated Singapore track for a controller user:
- Wings – 48/50 or 46/48
- Diff – 50/55
- Camber – -2.50/-1.00/0.04/0/16
- Suspension – 26-8-7-2-33-36
- Brakes – 100 Pressure/55 Bias
- Tyre pressures – Fronts 22.2/Rears minimum
In other words, there isn’t any change for me personally with my pad setup. I tried slightly lower wings, but couldn’t find any definitive advantage or improvement in pace, so I’ve just left the setup as it was.
I mostly use broadly similar setups to the SimRacingSetups YouTube channel, but just modded quite a lot for a pad user, since he uses a wheel and the wing spacing he used I find doesn’t translate to a controller very well. A controller and a wheel are two very different input devices.
Extra Setup Details (New Layout)
Here are some extra tips and commentary on the (barely) new setup for the new Singapore street circuit layout.
Wings
Having normally used 48/50 wings on the old layout, I did try 46/48 wings and even 44/46 wings for more speed on the extra medium length straight, but I couldn’t actually find any more pace.
But it’s true that wing levels and straight line speed might matter a little bit more in races on the new layout, and you can try using 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 with more of the lap now on full throttle.
Updating Old Setup
To convert your old Singapore setup to one that works on the new layout, just trying using the same wings you were using before, and then maybe drop the wing levels 2-4 clicks and test one lap and race pace to see if there’s a difference.
Honestly, I can’t find an improvement in pace myself, but Singapore is also not my strongest track at all. Try experimenting with slightly lower wings, but your setup is not likely to be a million miles away from what it was before on the old layout.
Intermediate Conditions
Your existing dry setup should work OK in intermediate conditions.
Or try bumping the wing up 1-2 clicks if not already at max levels (but I’d also keep the 2 click spacing when using a pad, and perhaps even spread them out further to set the rear wing 3 clicks above the front for better stability, like we’re going to do with the full wet setup just below).
Full Wet Conditions
Wet races are not uncommon round here, but most setups are already using max downforce or close to it anyway even on the new layout. 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.
So you can try maxing out the wings/downforce if not already there. 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 on the new Singapore layout:
- Wings – 47/50
- Diff – 50/55
- Camber – -2.50/-1.00/0.00/0.10
- Suspension – 24-6-6-1-37-40
- 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.
Bonus Setup Resources
This is just a baseline generic setup for a controller user to get started with. Since it’s a new layout, no doubt setups will refine over the coming weeks, and also this is designed to be stable in a race, not for single lap time trial pace.
If you’re looking for more finely tuned setups for different cars and game modes on F1 23, here are some other resources to check out:
- F1laps.com Singapore 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
Here are some extra racing/strategic tips for Singapore:
ERS – Because of the higher wing angles you’ll be running, even on the new layout, ERS runs out insanely quickly. Use it very sparingly and cautiously in longer races and you’ll be in a great position over longer races versus players that just spam their overtake button and waste all their ERS early on. You cannot easily recoup ERS at Singapore, and this is even more true on the new layout where there’s a few less braking zones. Just use it in short bursts when needed and work on developing strong raw pace without using the ERS.
Tyre wear – The red soft tyre is not a usable race tyre in 50% races or longer; it wears out and overheats too quickly. For longer races, Medium-Hard or Hard-Medium is the preferred tyre strategy. Also, with all the traction zones, it’s a rear limited track, with the rear tyres taking the most punishment. Degradation is also high, meaning you get a few strong laps maximum out of a new set of tyres, then pace drops off considerably after that. Which means the “undercut” is powerful, which I’ll come onto next….
Pit strategy – It’s not quite as hard as Monaco to overtake, but Singapore isn’t far off. Track position is critical, and the undercut on fresh tyres is powerful, especially if there’s a bunch of cars in front of you. Try pitting a few laps early and jumping a few cars in the pit stops. Once you’re in front of cars, as long as you lap consistently and sparingly use ERS when needed on the straights, you should be able to keep cars behind you even on slightly more worn tyres.
Tyre Temperatures – Tyres have always been at risk of overheating at Singapore, and it’s still true now even after the recent track update. It’s a bit less of an issue for the rear tyres now, since a few slow speed traction zones have been removed, but I’d still run front and rear pressures at minimum or close to it.
This new Singapore layout is an interesting one for car setup and lap time. I couldn’t find any more relative pace by changing my wing levels – could you? Leave a note in the comments if you managed to find some more pace by tweaking your setup, or whether your old setup still worked best.
