Here's What All The Buttons On The New Mercedes F1 Wheel Do
2014.03.23
A Formula One steering can be overly complicated and confusing. Just what are all the buttons on it used for? How do you even pilot something like that. Are there too many buttons?
According to new 2014 season regulations, the new KERS setup meant that engineers at Benz' F1 team needed to redo their steering wheel. You're looking at an even more complicated steering wheel.
First there are improvements - the screen is no longer a simple segmented LED like the old microwave or stair master. It is an OLED screen and can display more info to the driver.To find out what the other buttons do, scroll down below to see:
Lights
Left and right lights (FIA standard for red flag, yellow flag, blue flag) Top lights (Configurable, but generally used as gear shift lights)
Rotary Switches
There are a total of nine rotary switches on the wheel. Three are rotary dials, while the remaining six are configured as thumb wheels. The latter allow the driver to make changes to the settings without taking their hand off the wheel.
Rotary Dials
Menu Rotary (Middle) – Allows up to 15 different rotary switches to be able to change multiple configurations in one place, including tyre switches to adjust for the different compounds, for example
HPP Rotary (Right) – Used to control a large number of Power Unit settings, such as energy management during the race or MGU-K settings
Strategy Rotary (Left) – Enables adjustment of strategy settings during a session, including the way energy is recovered / deployed, for example
Thumb Wheels
The right-hand thumb wheels are used for differential adjustment to change the locking torque at different phases of a corner: mid, entry and high-speed The left-hand thumb wheels are used as brake settings for both brake balance and engine braking: adjusting the pedal map and other settings
Buttons
BB- / BB+ – Brake-by-wire management (adjusting the brake balance down / up) OT – The 'overtake' button
N – Neutral
+10 / +1 – Multifunctional switches, located in an optimal position
Radio – Activated the driver to engineer radio
DRS – Operates the DRS flap
Limiter – Engages the pit lane limiter
Marker – Used to identify a point of interest in the data as indicated by the driver
PC/R – Confirms pit entry by sending an automated alert to the garage. This allows the crew to prepare for the arrival of a car, regardless of whether it's been indicated on the radio that the driver is coming in
Key Numbers
It takes around six weeks to build a wheel from start to finish
The servicing time for a wheel between events is around 24 man hours
The team will take three wheels for each driver to every race. These are constantly being modified to suit different settings or preferences throughout the year
Left and right lights (FIA standard for red flag, yellow flag, blue flag) Top lights (Configurable, but generally used as gear shift lights)
Rotary Switches
There are a total of nine rotary switches on the wheel. Three are rotary dials, while the remaining six are configured as thumb wheels. The latter allow the driver to make changes to the settings without taking their hand off the wheel.
Rotary Dials
Menu Rotary (Middle) – Allows up to 15 different rotary switches to be able to change multiple configurations in one place, including tyre switches to adjust for the different compounds, for example
HPP Rotary (Right) – Used to control a large number of Power Unit settings, such as energy management during the race or MGU-K settings
Strategy Rotary (Left) – Enables adjustment of strategy settings during a session, including the way energy is recovered / deployed, for example
Thumb Wheels
The right-hand thumb wheels are used for differential adjustment to change the locking torque at different phases of a corner: mid, entry and high-speed The left-hand thumb wheels are used as brake settings for both brake balance and engine braking: adjusting the pedal map and other settings
Buttons
BB- / BB+ – Brake-by-wire management (adjusting the brake balance down / up) OT – The 'overtake' button
N – Neutral
+10 / +1 – Multifunctional switches, located in an optimal position
Radio – Activated the driver to engineer radio
DRS – Operates the DRS flap
Limiter – Engages the pit lane limiter
Marker – Used to identify a point of interest in the data as indicated by the driver
PC/R – Confirms pit entry by sending an automated alert to the garage. This allows the crew to prepare for the arrival of a car, regardless of whether it's been indicated on the radio that the driver is coming in
Key Numbers
It takes around six weeks to build a wheel from start to finish
The servicing time for a wheel between events is around 24 man hours
The team will take three wheels for each driver to every race. These are constantly being modified to suit different settings or preferences throughout the year
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