A modern F1 steering wheel is a complex electronic device that allows the driver to control a vast amount of carsettings. The teams often assign one engineer that is responsible for its electronics and the design so that the drivers can use it comfortably. For that reason, today's handles of a steering wheel are anatomically formed and made of hard rubber that provides extra grip for the driver's hands. The main part of the wheel however is constructed, just like almost every car part, of carbon fibre to reduce its weight. The pieces used today have a pricetag of around € 23,000 each each.
The manufacture of any part on a Formula 1 car is a complex process, and the steering wheel is no exception. Various lightweight materials are used for its production, including the before mentioned carbon fibre and rubber with aluminium, titanium, steel and plastic. A complete steering wheel can take approximately 100 hours to produce from start to finish.
With the average steering wheel controlling as many as 12 separate parameters on the car, there is a large number of components, buttons and switches that have to be fitted during the manufacturing process – some 120 separate items in all. Yet, despite the myriad of materials and parts that make up each completed wheel, the weight of the finished unit, as fitted to the car, is just 1.3 kg
Click image to enlarge1. Info of FIA/Race Control
2. Shift lights
3. Multi purpose display (engine revs, lap times, speed, gear, etc)
4. Neutral (usually when at the pit stop)
5. W – Activate front wing
6. Multipurpose button
7. K – KERS Boost button
8. – (presetting down)
9. + (presetting up)
10. Ack – Acknowledge
11. PL – Pit lane limiter
12. BB – Brake Balance
13. R – Radio
14. Box – Pit Box
15. SC – Safety Car
16. D – Drink
17. Pr – Problem Marker Button
18. Differential
19. Preload – Differential settings
20. Differential
21. Info to Pitcrew
22. Selector (KERS, front wing, RPM)
23. Tire adaptation
24. Wing – Presetting front wing
25. Pedal Map
26. Fuel Mix
27. Upshift Paddle
28. Downshift Paddle
29. Clutch
No comments:
Post a Comment