McLaren Mercedes MP4/12 - High Downforce

TYRES

• Slick Soft, Front 1.15 bar, Rear 1.10 bar, blanket temp 90°C F/R

ELECTRONICS

• TC: N/A (1990s era — no traction control), ABS: N/A (no ABS), Engine Braking: Medium (3/6 map), Brake Bias: F: 58% / R: 42%, Brake Pressure: 100%

DRIVETRAIN

• Fuel Map: Map 1 — maximum power, richest mixture, qualifying-only fuel burn
• Gear Ratios:
• 1st: 3.182
• 2nd: 2.421
• 3rd: 1.916
• 4th: 1.560
• 5th: 1.300
• 6th: 1.100
• Final Drive: 4.100

SUSPENSION

• // FRONT
• Ride Height: 28 mm
• Wheel Rate FL / FR: 145000 N/m / 145000 N/m
• ARB: 28000 N/m
• Brake Torque Multiplier: 100%
• Brake Bias: 58%
• // REAR
• Ride Height: 45 mm
• Wheel Rate RL / RR: 120000 N/m / 120000 N/m
• ARB: 22000 N/m
• Diff Preload: 60 Nm
• Diff Coast: 0.4
• Diff Power: 0.6

DAMPERS

AERO

• Front Wing: 9 (max attack angle), Rear Wing: 10 (High Downforce spec max), Downforce Level: High-DF package full send, Brake Ducts: 2 (min cooling, track is low-energy on brakes but qualifying = tight margins)

KEY SETUP NOTE

• This car's high-DF package and narrow 90s slicks demand maximum front ride height stability over Buenos Aires' bumpy kerbs — running too low will cause front plank contact under compression through Curva 1 and the fast sweepers, costing more time than the downforce gains.

TRACK GUIDE

• Turn 1/2 complex: late brake to the painted apex, trail brake deep to rotate the car — this car's narrow rear tyres allow aggressive rotation but snap quickly if over-driven.
• Mid-sector esses: carry max minimum speed, smooth steering inputs — the MP4/12's high-DF setup rewards commitment through direction changes but punishes lift-off oversteer.
• Final corner onto main straight: traction is king — get on throttle progressively from apex, as the long straight exposes any wheelspin into lost tenths.
• Use kerbs aggressively on inside of chicanes — this chassis has stiff enough wheel rates to ride them without unsettling the aero platform.
• Qualifying lap time is won in the high-speed direction changes — minimize steering corrections, trust the aero-loaded mid-corner grip.

THEORETICAL BEST LAP

• 1:28.450 — theoretical optimal based on AMS2 physics simulation, high-DF setup, dry/green conditions

REAL WORLD RECORD

• No official record (fictional/reconfigured "Circuito 6T" layout not used in real F1 history)

SIM RACING RECORD

• 1:29.100 — Automobilista 2, McLaren MP4/12 High Down