Mercedes changes Hamilton steering wheel after Baku incident

Lewis Hamilton will use a steering wheel with a cover to avoid activating the brake distribution button starting at the French Grand Prix. 

Published on 17/06/2021 à 16:14

Medhi Casaurang

  Comment on this article! 0

Mercedes changes Hamilton steering wheel after Baku incident

The steering wheel of Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes will be modified for the 1 F2021 French GP. © Florent Gooden / DPPI

La Formula 1 is a world at the cutting edge of technology. But sometimes, “old-fashioned” remedies can solve extremely serious problems.

Take the incident that struck Lewis Hamilton during the restart of the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion had inadvertently touched a button resulting in a greater distribution of the brakes on the front of the Mercedes.

 

 

Wheels blocked when braking in the first corner, the Englishman shot straight and lost any chance of scoring points in Baku. Two weeks after this extremely rare blunder, the person concerned will drive at Paul-Ricard (Var) with a slightly modified steering wheel.

“We have not moved (the position of) button, we simply put a ''cache'' around it so as not to accidentally activate it in the future. But this is a temporary solution,” he said at a press conference before the French Grand Prix.

This crude modification should be replaced soon. “Obviously, the steering wheel is not easy to transform, and you don't move the buttons just anywhere. The whole thing is part of a thoughtful design, a long-term solution will then be on the table. »

Medhi Casaurang

Passionate about the history of motorsport across all disciplines, I learned to read thanks to AUTOhebdo. At least that's what my parents tell everyone when they see my name inside!

Comment on this article! 0

Read also

Comments

0 Comment (s)

To write a comment