Okay, let’s dive into getting a setup sorted for Monaco in F1 24. Man, this track is something else. Always a challenge, every single year.
Starting Point: The Default Mess
So, first thing I did was just jump in with the default setup. Big mistake. Felt absolutely terrible. Like driving on ice, honestly. The car just wouldn’t turn in, especially through the slower stuff like the hairpin and Nouvelle Chicane. Then, trying to get on the power, forget about it. Wheelspin city, constantly kissing the barriers. It was clear the default wasn’t going to cut it, not even close.
Time to Tinker: Aero and Diff
Alright, back to the garage. First stop, aerodynamics. Monaco screams maximum downforce. So, I cranked both the front and rear wings way up. Didn’t go absolutely max straight away, but pretty close. Wanted as much grip sticking me to the road as possible.
Next up, the transmission differential. This is super important for traction out of those slow corners. I started locking the on-throttle diff up quite a bit. You need that to get the power down smoothly without one wheel just spinning uselessly. Maybe around 70-75% to start? Then, the off-throttle diff, I lowered that quite a bit. Helps the car rotate better on turn-in when you lift off, which you do a lot in Monaco. Maybe around 50-55%.
Suspension Tweaks: Getting Comfy
This part took some time. Monaco is bumpy and you use a lot of kerb.
- Suspension Geometry: Camber, I pushed the negative camber out, especially on the front, trying to get more grip mid-corner. Toe, I fiddled with this a bit. A little toe-out on the front for turn-in, maybe a tiny bit of toe-in on the rear for stability. It’s a balancing act.
- Suspension Stiffness: Went much softer here. Soft front and rear springs, soft anti-roll bars. This helps the car absorb the bumps and ride the kerbs without unsettling it too much. If it’s too stiff, you just bounce off everything.
- Ride Height: As low as possible without bottoming out constantly. So, pretty low at the front and a bit higher at the rear (some rake) usually works okay to help with rotation and keep the floor working.
Brakes and Tyres: Stopping Power and Grip
Brake pressure, I usually run it high, but for Monaco, sometimes lowering it a tiny touch helps avoid lock-ups, which are fatal here. Maybe 95-98% instead of 100%. Brake bias, shifted it a bit rearward compared to other tracks, maybe 54-56%. Helps turn the car on braking into slow corners, but too much makes the rear unstable.
Tyre pressures, this often changes, but generally, I lower them a bit from the defaults, especially the rears. Helps with traction and managing tyre temps, although overheating isn’t usually the biggest issue in Monaco compared to tyre wear.
Hitting the Track Again: Feeling the Difference
Okay, with all those initial changes made, went back out. Huge difference immediately. The car actually felt like it wanted to turn! Much more grip overall thanks to the wings. Traction out of slow corners was way better, could get on the power much earlier without looping it. Riding the kerbs felt more manageable, the car wasn’t bouncing around like crazy.
Still wasn’t perfect, mind you. Had a few moments, clipped the wall coming out of the tunnel once because I was still getting used to the new feel. Went back and forth a few times, small tweaks here and there. Maybe a click softer on the rear anti-roll bar, adjust the diff a percentage point or two based on how the exits felt lap after lap.
The Result: Drivable and (Relatively) Fast
After a good hour or so of lapping and tweaking, I landed on something I felt comfortable with. It wasn’t necessarily the absolute fastest setup in the world, but it was consistent and gave me confidence. That’s key for Monaco. You need to trust the car to go where you point it, lap after lap. The lap times started to drop significantly compared to the start. The hairpin felt good, could rotate the car nicely. Swimming Pool section felt planted. Still have to be super precise, obviously, it’s Monaco, but the setup made it feel possible rather than impossible.
So yeah, that was my process. Lots of trial and error, focusing on max downforce, good traction via the diff, and a soft enough suspension to handle the bumps and kerbs. It takes time, but worth it to actually enjoy driving this beast of a track.
