The FIA is aware of the innovation used by Mercedes
Mercedes' technical chief, James Allison, assures that the FIA is aware of the new steering system used by the team during the Thursday morning session.
After the broadcast of the images showing Lewis Hamilton moving his steering wheel on the straights, many experts questioned the usefulness and challenged the compliance of this new system. Indeed, this manipulation seems to modify and reduce the toe angle of the front wheels, which would lead to an improvement in corners while reducing aerodynamic drag on the straights.
« This is not news to the FIA, it’s something we’ve been discussing with them for some time. », said James Allison during a press conference.
« We have a system in the car, it’s a new idea we’re bringing in » added Allison.
« We have a name for this, it’s called DAS – Dual Axis Steering. It adds an extra dimension to steering and the driver. We hope it will be useful during the season. However, how do we use it? Why do we use it? That’s something we’d rather keep to ourselves. The rules are quite clear about what’s allowed regarding steering systems, and we’re quite confident that it meets all the requirements. »
Lewis Hamilton, on his side, stated that the team spent the morning trying to understand this innovation and that no safety issue had arisen: « From a safety perspective, there were no issues. »
The Briton says he is proud to be able to rely on his team to continually innovate, even though it has dominated the championship since 2014.
« The FIA agrees with this innovation. For me, it’s really encouraging to see that the team continues to innovate and stay ahead of the competition. I think it’s simply due to the great minds we have in this team, and I hope it will work. »
