Mercedes F1's Clever Steering Trick Has Already Been Banned
DAS was the hot topic of the second day of testing when Lewis Hamilton was spotted pulling his steering wheel on the straights. This activates a mechanism which alters the toe angle of the front wheels, potentially bringing with it all sorts of benefits to aerodynamics, handling, cooling and more.
Such a radical system looks like something the FIA would swarm all over and move to ban. But Mercedes had already checked and been given the thumbs up and so - assuming it works properly and does improve performance - we’ll be seeing it on the W11 this season.
But only this season. A change to the technical regulations for 2021 outlaws DAS systems, the new article (10.5) stating:
The re-alignment of the steered wheels, as defined by the position of the inboard attachment of the relevant suspensions members that remain a fixed distance from each other, must be uniquely defined by a monotonic function of the rotational position of a single steering wheel.
With some of the smaller midfield teams already mentioning the difficulty, cost, and time required to make a DAS of their own, it’ll be interesting to see who continues to develop a system which they’ll only be able to use for a few months before it’s outlawed.
A version of this article was originally posted on WTF1
Comments
This is just how I see it happening:
FIA: “Innovation in F1 is key to the longevity of the sport.”
Mercedes: “We’ve invented a new steering system.”
FIA: “Banned.”
Is there even a Motorsport without limitations?
It wasn’t banned as a reaction, that’s been in the 2021 rules since October.
Sick. FIA, forever banning unknown innovation.
I love how they clarified that it has to be a single steering wheel. If they didn’t, Mercedes would probably just keep using that system but with a second, smaller wheel to adjust it.
Buttt from 2021 :)
So this 2020 season next month starting yet again Merc will win everything
Why are the FIA banning the DAS system in F1 starting from 2021?
Formula 1 is easily the worst when it comes to regulations and action. I already know that mercedes will win this year again
And this right here is why I hate the FIA. Innovation is stifled, instead of encouraging healthy competition through innovation…
A bit like the Bravham of 1978, known as ‘the fan car’
It was allowed to race for the rest of the season but that poisonous gnome Ecclestone withdrew it after the Swedish GP. Not because he had to as they had been allowed to use it for the rest of the season, but because old Bernie was moving to get himself made head of F1 and didn’t want conflict with the manufacturers