CDA4 McLaren 570s GT4 Release Notes

Welcome to the McLaren 570s CDA4 release notes blog. In this page you will find the detailed notes compiled by the team after each session when creating the fast and safe variants of the new CDA4 570s setups. Please carry on reading below to see what our team found:

Brands Hatch

• Stiff arbs are used to have stability while providing good response.
• Soft front wheel rate with a decent amount of range is used for rotation.
• The fast setup has a lot of entry rotation to maximise lap time. If its too much, the safe setup is a lot easier to drive.
• For quali, TC off is the fastest method.

Misano 

• We put the rear bump damping quite stiff to increase the rotation on throttle.
• Soft springs have been used to maximize the traction.
• Low bumpstop range to have more aero stability.
• A lot of rake and negative toe to increase the rotation.
• Use TC off for maximise the lap time.

Nurburgring

• Using a medium downforce set up improves the car’s ability to rotate through the corner, assisting the exit. 
• Using minimum spring rates at the front and rear gives the driver greater confidence through the corner as there is more grip through the turn.
• The dampers generally have been softened at the front and stiffened at the rear. The object of this is to help reduce any understeer in the car.

Paul Ricard

• Minimum wing and low rake to have good top speed.
• Low bump stop range at the rear to have better aero stability in the medium-high speed corner.
• Low value on the bump damping to increase the mechanical grip, soft rear rebound to increase the rotation on the entry.
• Use TC off to maximise the lap time.
• Don’t do downshifts with too much steering angle applied or the car will become unstable.

Silverstone

• Silverstone uses Monza as a setup baseline and for the most part both setups are very similar in their values. 
• The aero has been changed in the Silverstone setup and different mechanical settings and values were tested. 
• However the mechanical grip settings used at Monza work very well with the fast setup and therefore these values have been retained for the Silverstone setup. This involves running a very stiff ARB combination along with softer springs. The reason these setup combinations work at both tracks is due to the flat nature of the track surface along with the requirements for high speed entry stability. 
• With the safer variant for Monza the rear ride height has been adjusted to provide stability. On the contrary the Silverstone setup uses a damper adjustment to help with entry stability and exit roll compliance through medium speed corners making the car slightly more forgiving through high speed sections.

Spa Francorchamps 

• In order to avoid hitting bumpstops at Eau Rouge which unsettles the car, both front and rear ranges are set high.
• Front bumpstop rate is low to get more rotation through Pouhon. 
• Rear ride height is lower than usual to provide enough traction through corners like Les Combes and Campus.
• Suspension is set quite stiff to get enough rotation at high speed. In order to keep it easy to handle, the rear rebound damping is set stiff to control the pitch of the car. 
• Avoid downshifting into 2nd gear in Bruxelles. It’s very likely to lock the differential and cause a slide.

Suzuka 

• High front bumpstop range helps while going over the kerbs in the last chicane. Still you should take the kerb only with one side to prevent the car from bouncing.
• Low front bumpstop rate helps to obtain better cornering in 130R as it’s quite fast.
• The rear camber is lower than usual to limit the tires’ temperature difference between inside and outside.
• Off throttle rotation can be a bit aggressive in the first sector but staying in lower gear will help to stabilise the rear. The race safe setup also has stiffer rear rebound damping to help with that.
• As the track has low grip, there’s quite a bit of positive rear toe to keep the car from sliding on throttle.

Zandvoort

• Medium downforce and medium rake have been used for the fast flowing nature of this track.
• Stiffer rear roll bar aids in rotation, combined with softer springs and rear dampers to aid in traction.
• Alignment has been adjusted to aid tyre wear and performance.
• Safe setup uses changes to roll bars, rake and alignment to improve overall stability and traction.
• Quali setup focuses on one lap pace with increased camber values and more aggressive settings.

Zolder

• High front bumpstop range is used to avoid bottoming out and rebounding off the bumpstops. 
• Stiff front suspension is used to limit the roll from high front bumpstop range. 
• Rear suspension is set stiff in order to give enough rotation on power.
• Rear rebound damping is high to control the pitch of the car on corner entries but also to settle the car quicker after going over kerbs. 
• In order to make the right hander after the second chicane flat, make sure to upshift into 4th before the apex.

Barcelona 

• Low front bumpstop range can cause a bit of bouncing then you hit the bumpstop. However, high bumpstop range creates a lot of roll in front and causes oversteer on exits.
• Stiff rear rebound helps to keep the rear stable during long corner entries like T4. 
• Neutral rear toe gives a bit of understeer on throttle but it’s much more consistent as left tires reach 100C after a few laps.
• The throttle blips on downshift are aggressive and can cause small lock ups. Be careful with shifting down too early.

Donington Park 

• Higher front bumpstop range helps to limit bouncing over the kerbs in the chicane.
• Front suspension is stiffer to keep the car stable during high compression in the old hairpin.
• In the last two hairpins it’s important to open the steering before getting on throttle. Otherwise there will be a lot of oversteer. 
• The car has good traction but not a lot of rotation on power so make sure to be patient with going back on throttle.

Laguna Seca

• Use TC off to maximise the lap time.
• Maximum wing to increase downforce, since the straights are quite short, so no point to have a fast car on it.
• Soft springs have been used to maximize the traction.
• Dampers are tuned to take bumps better.

Kyalami

• The mechanical settings on suspension are quite limited with the car so tha optimal approach is to run a soft spring combination for better mechanical grip The ARBs are run on the stiffer side to improve agility and aero stability through the corners.
• The front rebound is kept quite stiff to maintain enough load on the front tyres which help with front response as well as overall rotation. 
• A low rear bumptop range additionally helps with rotation and the damper configuration used ensures that the car does not bottom out or lose grip while mounting the kerbs.

Hungaroring

• Stiff ARBs to increase the reactivity of the car.
• The rear wheel-rate is stiffer than the front to give the car more rotation on throttle.
• Except for turn 1 you can always avoid using second gear, so that you can have an easier entry and exit of the turn, you can check the video hotlap to understand better.
• For Quali we go with max negative camber and toe to maximise the rotation, also a bit softer in terms of rear rebound helped.
• Maximum wing and rake for use of all the downforce the car can give.
• Use TC off to maximise the lap time.

Monza

• The ARBs are kept quite stiff to maintain good response while going through direction changes in Ascari. The soft mechanical settings ensure maximised grip out of slow speed exits. The low bumpstop range provides good rotation through the high speed corners.
• High rear range with adjusted damper settings were tested for better kerb performance, but the effect is quite small with the negative impact of excessive roll. For optimal performance with the current setup try to take the kerbs less aggressively on the fast setup. 
• The safe setup is a little more forgiving on kerbs, but still requires a similar performance window to the fast setup to be stable enough through corners such as Lesmos and Parabolica.

Imola

• With Imola being a very fast circuit, the rake of the car has been reduced to enhance the top speed of the car, while stabilising the rear.
• The rear dampers are generally softer than previous set ups with the McLaren, to aid traction out of the corners.
• The race fast set up is aggressive but manageable. 
• Having the TC off will help to improve lap time further.

Mount Panorama

• Soft ARBs to maximise the grip.
• The rear wheel-rate is more stiff then the front to give the car more rotation on throttle.
• Dampers are tuned to increase the stability on the downhill section.
• Brake before the crest in T11 or the car will come off the ground and start bouncing around.
• Low wing to have a good top speed in the long straights, and high rake values to increase the rotation.
• Use TC off to maximise the lap time.

Snetterton 

• The car is very sensitive to body roll both on the front and rear so the car is set up quite stiff.
• A bit of negative toe is used to obtain better rotation on power as the differential is open.
• Low wing level is used in order to provide enough rotation, especially in the fast corners.
• Avoid excessive steering input in hairpins as it will cause oversteer. RS setup is safer with this owing to the lower front bumpstop range.

Oulton Park

• The Mclaren 570 GT4 responds really well to set up changes, allowing for the car’s handling to be adjusted as expected. Increasing the rear ride height made the car more predictable and increased corner grip.
• The main limitation to the 570 is rear grip on the exits of corners. To help this, the rear of the car has been softened, by reducing the rear ARB and dampers.
• The car is very stable through the entry of corners, thanks to maximum wing angle on the rear. This combined with the negative front toe allows the car to attack the entry of the corner.

Watkins Glen

• The suspension is run very soft in order to improve mechanical grip in the bumpier sections of the track and the off cambered exits in the final sector. 
• A very low rear bump stop range and stiff rear bump stops help in maximising high speed exit rotation, as this car tends to understeer quite a lot even with high ride height. The ARB settings also help with additional rotation in the high speed corners. 
• A stiff front rebound helps keep the weight on the front axle through high speed sections of the track. The overall damper stiffness however is set quite low to match the soft suspension. 
• For the fast variant, a slightly lower rear wing is also used to get the extra rotation which would help especially once the front tyres start to wear.

COTA

• The Race fast set up has a very soft rear end, to aid traction and grip through sector 1. With maximum rear angle, the car is able to carry good speed through the corners.
• The car is using a medium rake configuration, this is because COTA requires a balance of cornering performance and top speed.
• In qualifying, the fastest lap often occurred on the first hot lap. This is because the McLaren is more aggressive on its tyres and is able to heat them up faster. This does result in the tyres not lasting as long as rival GT4 cars.
• The qualifying set up is more edgy than the race set ups, but is able to produce faster lap times as a result. Increasing TC can assist this, but at the cost of lap time.

Indianapolis

• Low rear bumpstop range and high rake is used to provide rotation in the high speed corners.
• Stiff wheel rates help provide the stability to control the aero.
• A softer front ARB is used to help with the slow speed corners where there is normally a lot of understeer.

Valencia 

• Use TC off to maximise the lap time.
• The main limitation to the 570 is rear grip on the exits of corners. To help with this, the rear of the car has been softened, by reducing the rear ARB and dampers.
• Don’t downshift with too much steering angle applied or the car will become unstable.

Team List 

Track	Driver/Engineer Combination
	Driver	Engineer
Barcelona	Hubert Szymanski
Hungaroring	Amedeo Castorino
Imola	David Pertile	David Skidmore
Kyalami	David Pertile	Saiduth Ramesh
Laguna Seca	Amedeo Castorino
Misano	Amedeo Castorino
Monza	David Pertile	Saiduth Ramesh
Mount Panorama	Amedeo Castorino
Nurburgring	David Pertile	David Skidmore
Paul Ricard	Amedeo Castorino
Spa Francorchamps	Hubert Szymanski
Suzuka	Hubert Szymanski
Zandvoort	Chris Hack	Rob Taplin
Zolder	Hubert Szymanski
Brands Hatch	Taariq Adam
Donington	Hubert Szymanski
Oulton Park	Chris Hack	David Skidmore
Snetterton	Hubert Szymanski
Silverstone	Amedeo Castorino	Saiduth Ramesh
Watkins Glen	Amedeo Dekeyser	Saiduth Ramesh
Indianapolis	Taariq Adam
COTA	Chris Hack	David Skidmore
Valencia	Amedeo Castorino