After spending over 20 hours dialing in my Australia setup across both controller and wheel in F1 25’s early access, I finally landed on a car balance that feels planted through the sweepers but still gives strong straight-line speed for those critical overtaking zones. Melbourne is deceptively tricky: the walls are never far, the chicanes punish hesitation, and any weakness in your setup becomes obvious by lap five. This guide is for anyone who’s struggled to stop overheating tyres, can’t keep the rear stable into Turns 9 and 10, or feels like they’re losing time on the straights. I’ll break down what worked, what went wrong along the way, and why every setting here matters-based on real laps and a lot of trial and error.
I’m writing this because I wasted hours chasing understeer, snapping into the barriers, or simply losing chunks of time to online rivals. Albert Park is a circuit where mistakes compound quickly, and the new physics in F1 25 mean that what worked last year doesn’t cut it here. If you play on controller, you’ll need a forgiving setup; if you’re on a wheel, you’ll want confidence under braking and through direction changes. This setup covers both, and I’ll note where you can tweak for your own style. Expect to shave off at least half a second per lap once you get comfortable, and-importantly-keep your tyres alive for longer stints, which is critical in both Career and My Team modes.
Garage → Car SetupHere’s where I made my breakthrough. For my first runs, I went heavy on the rear wing (thinking I’d need rear grip), but it tanked my straight-line speed and I got mugged down every DRS zone. I also tried ultra-low wings, but then the car felt twitchy in the fast chicanes and the rear snapped mid-corner. What finally worked:
This gave me just enough bite into Turns 1 and 11, while not sacrificing too much on the straights. If you’re struggling with rear grip on controller, try bumping rear wing up by +1.
Melbourne’s slow corners (especially Turn 3 and 13) punish sloppy throttle. I wasted laps with an open on-throttle diff, spinning up the rears. The trick was tightening it just enough for traction, but not so much that it killed rotation:
These settings help the car rotate into slow turns, but you can up the on-throttle diff to 60 if you find yourself spinning out of slow exits (especially if you run with assists off).
F1 25’s new physics made wider camber settings viable. I used:
This gave me great mid-corner grip without destroying my tyres. Don’t fall for the trap of going too aggressive on toe out—it makes the car unstable, especially on controller.
I struggled with the bumps at Turns 6/7 and the kerbs at Turn 10. Too stiff, and the car would jump; too soft, and I lost precision. Here’s what struck the balance:
This combo keeps the car stable over kerbs but quick to respond in direction changes. If your car bottoms out, try raising the rear ride height by +2.
I found the sweet spot at:
This lets you brake late into Turns 1 and 13 without locking up too much. If you’re on a controller and locking the fronts, lower brake pressure to 98.
Tyre overheating was my number one enemy in online races. What finally worked for me:
This keeps your rear tyres from overheating on long runs. Don’t go lower, or you’ll lose too much responsiveness. If you’re struggling to warm up tyres in a cool session, raise pressures by 0.2.
With these settings, expect to run consistent, safe laps without sacrificing pace. Tweak to your taste, but this is a rock-solid baseline.
Expect the car to feel stable but agile through the fast sweepers, with enough rear grip to push in and out of the technical chicanes. Tyre wear should be manageable for 25%+ race distances. Biggest tip: don’t fixate on copying setups blindly—use this as a foundation, then adjust for your style and confidence. I wish I’d known how much a single click on diff or wing could transform the car. If you run into trouble, refer to troubleshooting above, and don’t be afraid to experiment for your own needs. Good luck, and enjoy racing Down Under!