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Author Topic: Steering Wheel  (Read 4303 times)

Offline Wizzo

Steering Wheel
« on: April 23, 2006, 06:21:13 PM »

In days gone by, steering wheels in Formula 1 were round and served but one purpose: keeping the cars on the ideal line around the circuit. But that was a long time ago. Today, at the Canadian Grand Prix, they are the control centres in the cockpit, equipped with buttons and switches intended to make the driver’s job easier and the car faster.

You do not have to go back many pages in the Formula 1 history book to see quite plainly just how rapidly the steering wheel has changed. It was only as far back as 1992 that the steering wheels were still round, with a piece of metal in the middle supporting, usually, just three buttons – one for engaging idle speed, one for activating the water bottle and one for the radio. These were factors that were not really decisive in the car’s performance.

However, the triumphal procession of electronics in Formula 1 started a revolutionary development. One of the forerunners, in the late 1980s, was the technical guru of those days, John Barnard, who installed a system in Nigel Mansell’s car that allowed the driver to flick a switch without taking his hands off the wheel. Not only was that easier but, with about 3,000 gearshifts per Grand Prix, also saved a great deal of time.
 

 
However, that was only to be the beginning. Over the years, more and more buttons and switches were added, to activate the launch control or the speed limiter for the pitlane, for instance. Beyond that, the driver can now optimise the set-up during the race; for example, by adjusting the brake force distribution between the front and rear wheels or by modifying the traction control, differential and fuel-air mixture in the engine.

The sheer number of buttons demands a degree of dexterity of the driver to ensure the optimal performance of the car. So that he will not get confused during the rush, a large display informs him about the current settings. It also shows the driver essential parameters, such as lap times, engine speed and the speed of the vehicle. All this comfort comes at a price: in the teams’ calcu-lations, a steering wheel accounts for 25,000 euros. And their ‘hand tool’ is also dear to the drivers. Many of them would prefer to take it back to the pit with them if they are forced to abandon their car beside the track. But regulations

state that it has to be reattached to the steering column to keep the racing car manoeuvrable. The regulations also state that the driver must be able to both detach the steering wheel and leave the cockpit in the space of five seconds.

One thing is certain, though: the steering wheel of a modern Formula 1 car is multi-talented. On average, it fulfils another 12 functions besides steering. Roughly 20 different buttons and switches are commonplace. “I would not go so far as to say that all those buttons are too much for drivers to cope with,” Formula 1 expert Christian Danner says. “But as practical experience continues to show, the potential for error is still relatively high.”

A wrong button pressed in the heat of the moment can occasionally lead to misunderstandings; for example, during radio communication with the pits. Sometimes a driver will even incur a drive-through penalty because, when entering the pitlane, he presses a different button instead of the speed limiter, thus coming in at too great a speed. Nevertheless, experts unanimously agree on the fact that the buttons and switches are much better located within reach on the steering wheel than if they were spread somewhere else in the cockpit.

The steering wheel is not only a hi-tech product because of its multi-functionality. Just as for the car itself, special lightweight materials, such as carbon, aluminium and titanium, as well as steel, rubber and plastic, are used for the production of a steering wheel. All told, it comprises approximately 120 individual parts, while still weighing only 1.3 kilograms. It takes about 100 man-hours to manufacture. Each Formula 1 season, five steering wheels are usually produced per driver. In principle, the steering wheels for the two drivers of any given team are the same, although the respective functions are not always located in identical positions: one driver may prefer to have the radio button under his right thumb, another next to his left index finger.

The number of functions and adjustments has also greatly increased in standard passenger vehicles over the years. “The trend in standard production – analogous to Formula 1 – to shift functionalities to the steering wheel means increased comfort and more safety because the driver will not be distracted from the traffic as much, and is also able to keep his hands on the wheel at all times – at least, if he is familiar with the vehicle,” Dr Hartmuth Wolff of the Allianz Center for Technology tells us. “There are significant differences between the models of the various manufacturers concerning the type and location of the controls.”

In Formula 1, the number of buttons and switches might well be reduced in the near future. Max Mosley, president of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), hopes to succeed in implementing his plans to reform Formula 1, mainly intending to reduce the constant, expensive development of new electronic aids. Less electronics, for example, through unified software for all the teams or the prohibition of traction control, would automatically result in a reduction of steering-wheel buttons.

 


"No Matter how little money and how few possessions, you own, having a dog makes you rich."

GPWizard F1 Forum https://www.gpwizard.co.uk
:wizard:
Wizzo

davewilson

  • Guest
Re: Steering Wheel
« Reply #1 on: July 08, 2006, 11:48:02 PM »
I feel that the constant butting in on development will be the Death Nell of F1.At the moment the teams are geared up to the max!!
To give the fastest car they can provide.
 They spend Millions to do this in development and testing, only for some person like Moseley to change the Goalposts yet again.
All the rules and regulations are KILLING the sport.
The constant Intervention has made F1 boring,not only to watch,but has lead to teams not so fortunate to keep up with the constant changes and demands wealth wise to fall by the wayside.
It is about time the Money Makers give something back to the Sport.

 Formula One does not need this! Lets get back to basics and enjoy the sport and not let Technology take Over Driver Ability.
The constant Tyr'e War has done nothing for the sport,and next year this will be dealt with with just one supplier unless we have others come to join in to profit in the wealthy status of the sport.
I for one would love to see racing again,and not all the rules and regulations which are killing it!

The Powers that be are Oblivious to this however, they just want to make MONEY At ALL COSTS!!
It is not costing them anything to make changes ,but is costing teams to keep up and US THE FANS!

Flexi Wing? What Is that all about?   To gain a few tenths here and there?And when they do not Flex enough to be punished?   
 It has all gone to far.

  Let us now get people who are in touch with what F1 needs to TAKE OVER.  And Kick out these Money Grabbing Pretenders before it is too Late to bring back the sport back to what it was.

What do you think?

I Liked The Nigel Mansell era.When Racers Really Were Racers!  It was so much more enjoyable to watch not follow the Leader.
  The young lads will not Know about this though.They have just come in ,and what we have today is the norm to them because they have no reference at all to compare with.

On this point i would condem web sites for not giving members a chance to view older Races.But in this case i cannot because F1 Wizard and the lads have always tried to come up with actual footage or provide links to where i might be able to view older races,and have some fantastic Video Footage on all subjects,and is well worth a visit on this site.

I would like to see more development in this area if at all possible,but it is just a case of getting these things at the time,and i am sure the Wizard will keep us up-dated with the latest.


We had Rules but not OVERPOWERING ONES!

Or is it that Technology Itself has got us all here?

Are we just making decision's as things come along?Or is it the end as we knew it?

The Stig
« Last Edit: July 09, 2006, 12:52:16 AM by The Stig »

CrazyHorse

  • Guest
Re: Steering Wheel
« Reply #2 on: June 05, 2007, 04:35:20 PM »
Heres a quote from Jensen Button from the 2003 season, it illustrates how important the steering wheel is

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/3038505.stm

"We had a problem all the way through the race because the electronics on the steering stopped working on the first lap.

"I had no [rev] limiter button, no idea of which gear I was in, no neutral - no nothing. I had to do it all manually. My race engineer was even counting my speed down for me coming into the pits!

"Then the electronics problem caused a stall at the second pitstop. We had decided not to change the steering wheel at the first stop because it can mess up the electronics, but after the car stalled we changed it but had to wait for the system to reset.

"It was a fairly disastrous stop and I lost a lot of time. When you lose a lap because of mechanical problems there isn't much you can do. "

« Last Edit: June 05, 2007, 04:38:17 PM by CrazyHorse »

Offline Lynda

Re: Steering Wheel
« Reply #3 on: June 24, 2007, 09:09:34 PM »
Here's a photo I took at the office this week. There's a Williams car in our building's foyer as AT & T share our building !!

Love Lynda XX  :)


Offline Wizzo

Re: Steering Wheel
« Reply #4 on: June 26, 2007, 04:45:12 PM »

Nice one Lynda  :good:

There is not many people who can say they have an F1 car in their building - you lucky, lucky, lucky...........
"No Matter how little money and how few possessions, you own, having a dog makes you rich."

GPWizard F1 Forum https://www.gpwizard.co.uk
:wizard:
Wizzo

Offline raindancer

Re: Steering Wheel
« Reply #5 on: July 03, 2007, 10:32:31 AM »
Great one Lynda.
Don't Fight Forces ! Use them

Mitch14

  • Guest
Re: Steering Wheel
« Reply #6 on: July 07, 2008, 07:26:55 PM »
you are very lucky linda. however back to the steering wheel, they look so complicated i  there's probaly less buttons on a remote

 


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