Paul Jeffrey
Premium
Not content with producing clearly the fastest car in Formula One every year since 2014, Mercedes have been trying another new trick in Barcelona today - the much discussed DAS steering system.
DAS I hear you say? What's that? Well, according to Mercedes it stands for Duel-Axis Steering - however the reigning champions are keeping tight lipped as to what the controversial feature actually achieves within the new W11 Grand Prix car.
Thanks to the unprecedented amount of live TV coverage from the opening test sessions of the season, fans and sport insiders would very quickly notice Lewis Hamilton apparently pulling his steering wheel towards him when on the start finish straight at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, only to then push the wheel forwards again just prior to entering the braking zone into T1.
Many suspect the new feature influences the toe settings of their new car, pushing the W11 into very new, and slightly controversial ground.
Mercedes James Allison firmly believes the DAS system is legal, and should be allowed to stay on the car ahead of the Australian Grand Prix - leaving the Formula One field very much in another race to catch back up with the Silver Arrows... again.
Original Source: F1.com
Get yourself over to the Formula One Sub Forum here at RaceDepartment if you want to learn more about the world of Grand Prix racing with our awesome motorsport community.
DAS I hear you say? What's that? Well, according to Mercedes it stands for Duel-Axis Steering - however the reigning champions are keeping tight lipped as to what the controversial feature actually achieves within the new W11 Grand Prix car.
Thanks to the unprecedented amount of live TV coverage from the opening test sessions of the season, fans and sport insiders would very quickly notice Lewis Hamilton apparently pulling his steering wheel towards him when on the start finish straight at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, only to then push the wheel forwards again just prior to entering the braking zone into T1.
Many suspect the new feature influences the toe settings of their new car, pushing the W11 into very new, and slightly controversial ground.
Mercedes James Allison firmly believes the DAS system is legal, and should be allowed to stay on the car ahead of the Australian Grand Prix - leaving the Formula One field very much in another race to catch back up with the Silver Arrows... again.
“I probably won’t shed a great deal more light than what you saw on the TV but yeah we have a system in the car, it’s a novel idea,” Allison said. “We’ve got a name for it, it’s called DAS, if you’re interested, and it just introduces an extra dimension for the steering, for the driver, which we hope will be useful during the year. But precisely how we use it and why we use it, that’s something we will keep to ourselves.”
"this isn’t news to the FIA, it’s something we’ve been talking to them for some time. The rules are pretty clear about what’s permitted on steering systems and we’re pretty confident that it matches those requirements.”
He added: “I’m pleased we got it on the car, it seems to be useful, and we’ll see over the coming days how it benefits us.”
Original Source: F1.com
Get yourself over to the Formula One Sub Forum here at RaceDepartment if you want to learn more about the world of Grand Prix racing with our awesome motorsport community.
