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Box Box Box breaks down the Formula 1 season with clear, focused analysis. Hosts Scott and Mohan cover each race weekend, unpacking strategies, standout performances, and the key stories shaping the grid.
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F1 Decoded: Steering Wheels Explained
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We break down the F1 steering wheel as the driver’s command centre, explaining what its buttons, dials, and displays do and why they matter in race conditions.
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SPEAKER_01Welcome to F1D Coded, uh, the Box Box Box spin-off podcast. My name is Scott. I've currently lost my voice because of some sort of childcare flu. But nevertheless, I am joined here today with Mohan as always. How are you, Mohan? I'm good, thank you. Sounding a lot better than you on the sounds that we Yeah, well, I think you'll be doing most of the talking today as you normally as you normally do, so which is which is a good thing. I certainly sit uh enjoy sitting here and listening. So today we're we're talking about steering wheels in F1. Obviously, a very unique component to the car. Uh it's the technology that goes into those wheels is insane. Uh it's like it's it's hard to even comprehend. So is there anything you want to add before we start diving in?
SPEAKER_02Uh yeah, as part of this, given that this is as much a visual conversation as a as an audio conversation, we've created a couple of graphics that will be posted on our socials, which are generic steering wheels and also an ex a brief explanation of some of the functions and the buttons which will go hand in hand with this conversation. So to anyone listening to us, please uh reach out to our socials, which hopefully gives you uh an ideal tool to look to compare with when we're when you're listening to what we have to say.
SPEAKER_01I know in the in the sim racing world, they you know, they obviously try to emulate the wheels and you know, every button and function they have. And I've often found myself, when using them, not being able to map a particular function to a button or or whatnot or a toggle because there's just so there's just not enough functions to map. Like there's, you know, like it's it's just not complicated enough. So it's it's quite incredible the the the amount of detail and uh I guess like driving change that that that is within these wheels. Um so so let's let's dive let's dive in. So uh my man, tell me like what control uh what controls and functions uh are built into modern Formula One steering wheels? And and why is it so much more complex than a normal race car steering wheel?
SPEAKER_02So a modern Formula One steering wheel is really effectively a remote, the driver's remote control, shall we say, for the car, for the entire car. It's not just a steering wheel. Uh built into it are gear shift paddles, clutch paddles, radio button, pit lane speed limiters, neutral and reverse functions, brake bias adjustments, and so many more functions, and including a range of power unit and energy management controls. Uh, in the more recent Formula One cars, drivers have also used it to manage things like uh tire warm-up procedures, starch settings, race delta targets, and so on. So, in effect, this wheel becomes an interface between the driver and what is a very complex hybrid system. So that is why it looks nothing like a normal race car wheel and nothing like a normal road car wheel. In many of the Juni categories or GT cars, the driver actually may still have a multifunctional wheel. But F1 wheels tend to compress far more control logics into one place, mainly because the cars themselves are a lot more adjustable and the power units are way more complex. And the race engineers and anyone on the pit wall actually expects the driver to make quite a few live changes on the track while they're driving. So a team like Mercedes-Benz, for instance, they describe their modern steering wheels as allowing a limited range of setup changes from corner to corner while also controlling the energy deployment. So as a result, the wheel itself is complex because the car itself is complex. So the wheel is not just there simply to turn the tires, it is there to help the driver optimize his performance, react to conditions on the track, and execute racing procedures under pressure as such. So that is why this has become probably one of the most defining pieces of technology in this sport.
SPEAKER_01So why do Formula One drivers use a rectangular or butterfly-shaped steering wheel instead of a traditional circular one? And when did that change actually? I know, you know, back was it the 80s, they did used to have a smaller circular wheel.
SPEAKER_02Um so the the rectangular, the butterfly shape is is about is largely about packaging driver's visibility over the steering wheel and the functions itself. Because they sit quite low, right?
SPEAKER_01That's that's a whole that's a whole part of this issue.
SPEAKER_02And so a round steering wheel actually would be quite obstructive to their vision. Um in the cockpit, as I mentioned before, the room is very limited, and we've we've seen the drivers having to remove the steering wheel each time they get in and out of the car because it is so uh the the space in there is so compressed. Um they are surrounded by the cockpit sides, the halo, um, any any of the switch gear. So uh this means that a smaller, open, flattened type or flattened shape uh makes it easier for the driver to get in and out of the car. Um and FIA rules actually require that the steering be removable quickly in the event that the driver has to exit the car in an emergency, and they don't want the steering wheel to be a restricting factor if the driver needs to get out of the car in a hurry. Um this shape also creates um quite a decent amount of room for the driver's hands, the thumbs, and the fingers to reach the buttons and the rotaries without having to let go completely of the steering wheel and switch hands. Um and as mentioned before, it certainly improves the sight lines of the driver. So the traditional round rim uh would block more of the dashboard and potentially more of the forward view, um, whereas the flatter top and the bottom space allows for the screen and the LEDs while keeping the steering wheel actually quite compact. The other part is ergonomics under very high load. So drivers are dealing with very high cornering forces, so they need to shape that uh a shape that lets them brace the wheel securely and repeatedly reach controls from the same hand positions without taking their hands off the wheel as such. So, in that sense, the wheel itself is part of the shape of it, is part of the whole operating system of the car, largely designed to allow fast access to the drivers, minimize any wasted movements of their fingers or their hands, and to improve uh consistency in how they actually use each of those functions.
SPEAKER_01And with the I don't want to kind of jump too far ahead and um answer questions. You may have um uh I may have uh other questions I may have loaded up for you. But the the the wheel itself, it doesn't turn as many times as a normal road car, right? Like these things are a lot more sensitive uh in terms of just the the uh I don't know what the word I'm looking for here, the the the amount of turn they get from the you know the uh the the the the the radius they move the wheel uh yeah it is and and also if you think of how that actually then translates into how the wheels themselves move, because the wheels themselves don't turn significant amount, particularly at those speeds they don't need to.
SPEAKER_02A very small movement translates to quite a quite a quite quite a ride quite a wide turn. And the amount of turns that then translates into the steering wheel being able to be turned is proportional in that sense. So and part of that also is as I mentioned before, the forces against the which the drivers are fighting as they try to turn that wheel are immense. And they they specifically train under load on how to turn these steering wheels and the weight and the G forces under which they have to train to turn those steering wheels. Hence the reason the amount those wheels actually turn is limited as such.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, there's definitely a term for it, I just can't think of it right now. And they they obviously um they'd have some sort of dead zone in the middle as well, I imagine, to being so sensitive on these wheels. Yeah. So um uh so moving on, the uh how do the drivers use uh the steering wheel to manage um the brake balance uh uh uh differential settings and uh energy deployment during a lap? I I do think the uh brake brake bias, brake balance, whatever that whatever that's called, uh that uh it fascinates me how they actually they can actually shift that uh mid mid-race from corner to corner. Like it's just a whole nother level of complexity and balance these drivers are trying to accomplish while you know fuels are pleading and I imagine it just becomes internalized after a while that they they they they do all these things, but it's quite incredible, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02And particularly at the speeds that they're traveling to to react to to that level is absolutely incredible. So this is kind of where the steering wheel, I guess, becomes a form of a performance tool rather than a control surface directly. So they as mentioned before, they use it to adjust those those uh bias adjustments, um, shifting shifting the brake effort between the front and the rear axles, depending on the corner that they are driving through, depending on the condition of the tires, depending on the grip level and the and the conditions that they are driving in. So to the extent that if the rear, for instance, feels unstable under braking, they may move some of the bias forward. And if they need more rotation into a slow corner, they may move it to the back of the car. And so the drivers actually on those wheels can use quite dedicated functions uh to override the brake behavior for brake weather, in, for instance, where the where the one particular brake is warming up more than the others, and they can shift those biases depending on what's happening live. And then differential settings actually are another major area. So this actually influences how the rear wheels can share torque in different phases of a corner, uh particularly entry, mid-corner, and exit. And the fact that they can manage this at that at that pace is absolutely incredible. And the reflexes that they have to have to be able to do that is is immense. Um because the driver actually might want a different differential behavior in a slow traction zone than in a fast zone. Um, and these tend to form sort of core functions of the wheels because they have they have a direct effect on traction of the car. And then energy management is the third big piece out of this, particularly in the hybrid era. Drivers have to manage the electrical deployment and the recovery through preset modes and also changes that are guided by their engineers and and the people on the pit wall. In 2026, that becomes even more central because the drivers are now working with the recharge boost and overtake modes and the strategies rather than the old DRS-based system that used to exist. So during a lap, the driver is constantly juggling, stopping powers, corner balance, electrical usage. So this is why sort of a top lap in a Formula One race is not just about the steering inputs. It's also about managing all these systems, multitasking across these systems, at exactly the right moment to get the best performance out of the car.
SPEAKER_01So tell me, what do all the buttons, particularly rotary switches as well, something I'm interested in, um, and the display screens on the wheels actually control?
SPEAKER_02Uh and this is where it will be particularly useful for all these listeners actually to refer to the graphics that we have presented in our socials. And that gives you a generic breakdown of the different sections of the of this of a offer steering wheel. The easiest way to understand an F1 steering wheel is to spread it into three key groups. There are the instant action buttons, they are the rotary dials for judgment, and then the display uh LED system that gives the driver feedback. So the buttons are usually for things that the driver needs immediately and decisively. So like radio, pit rain, pit lane speed limiter, neutral or overtake functions, any energy related triggers, and sometimes if there's any menu or preset access that they need to engage. They're basically sort of the like the do-it-now kind of controls on the steering wheel. The rotaries are different. They are for fine-tuning how the fire actually behaves, often sort of corner by corner, face by face through a race. So several switches on this wheel can be, for instance, dedicated to brake settings alone. Not just simple front to rear brake brake bias, but also engine braking and braking migration, which is quite a dynamic shift in the brake balance of the pedal pressures that exist. So this is where sort of the rotar become really important. On a modern wheel, the driver, for instance, will have one wheel that's purely dedicated to brake bias or a differential behavior, where another for the power unit management, and then the third one for the engine and differential settings. So they have to use these all concurrently and manage the performance of the car. The other thing is also while we have presented a generic uh picture of a steering wheel just for ease of reference, each team has their own setup. While the generic settings are actually in a certain particular position, there are minor changes between each team that is customized to how the car functions, but also customized to individual drivers and their preferences for how where things need to sit and how they they wish to activate certain functions within the car. So there are key functions which in which the driver needs to act to access, like things like no brake settings and differential tuning, the radio, the pit limiter, and things like that. But the exact uh position, the labeling, and how they are prioritized does vary across teams. As an example, Mercedes would actually say that their drivers request the changes of the layout of the buttons quite a lot during a season. And we've also seen steering wheels of someone like McLaren's team and where they've actually got their setups, which is again very different. So there isn't what you would consider a single universal steering wheel layout as such. There is a common sort of functional logic of how these wheels work. But each team tends to build its own ergonomically suited steering wheel map that suits their car and suits their drivers.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I always quite always remember the um the the end of the the Williams family owning Williams. Uh they they had the butterfly wheel, but it didn't have the screen on it. They had a screen kind of mounted behind it. And that was that was uh it was a purely a financial issue. The wheels so much goes into these wheels to to upgrade them and it's it's you know, they were struggling at the time financially. It was um it was crazy to see just how far behind they kind of were, but still still managing to function, obviously, when it was when Nicholas Latifi and George Russell were driving for them, I think 20, 2019-ish. But it's it's such a it's such a it's such a key component of the car these days. And you I mean, go back 40 years, there was nothing on these, right?
SPEAKER_02No. And and the fact of that the cost of production of these of the steering wheels is quite significant. So from what I understand, most teams would carry perhaps two, three spares at most, compared to you think of that as compared to the spares they c carry of other parts of the car. Given the complexity of developing these things, and I said each of these steering wheels is customized to each driver. If it does, if one gets damaged, or we've had instances early in this season where uh a couple of the drivers' steering wheels just weren't working, they literally had to pull them out because electronics had failed, and they only carry two spares basically, because it is such a complex piece of technology to develop.
SPEAKER_01All right, I've got the rain hammering down here if you can hear it. If you can't, well, that's even better. So it's all good. So tell Mohan, um, how much of the car's performance can a driver influence directly from the steering wheel while driving?
SPEAKER_02It can actually influence quite a bit, but it certainly doesn't influence everything. It gives the driver sort of real-time influence over the systems that change and how the car will behave corner to corner or lap to lap. These changes can actually obviously affect lap time, tire life, battery uh deployment, brake temperature, uh, and any overtaking and defending potential across the race. So as a result of it, there is a sense that the steering wheel can have a very direct effect on performance. But having said that, there is also quite an important limit in all this because the fact that the steering wheel allows a certain number of changes, but it doesn't allow you to change everything. And so as a result of it, that range of changes that can be made at speed is quite limited. So the driver cannot sort of fundamentally redesign the car while it's being driven, for instance. So there are some changes that can only be uh activated from the pit wall. So overall, I guess is it while it does give the driver a level of meaningful tactical control over the car, but within quite a control window as such. So and that that window is basically the difference between optimizing the performance of the car versus transforming it completely. The driver can can gain a lot over a race by learning to use that wheel very well, uh, especially in traffic, especially in changing weather conditions, or under different time management phases. But the underlying factor on all of that, the car has the car still needs to be good for them to be able to do that.
SPEAKER_01So, why is steering wheel layout um so important uh for the drivers? And and how does it vary from team to team more specifically? I know you touched on it before, but is it is there more you can expand on?
SPEAKER_02A significant amount of it comes back down to the fact that the drivers tend to manage a lot of this through muscle memory. Uh, and this is where uh a lot of the work they do in the simulator comes into it. So the fact that they don't need to necessarily look at a button, it's all by feel. And particularly when you think of the fact that at 300 kilometers an hour, they really don't have time to hunt for a switch or to second guess a label of a particular switch or a dial. So the wheel itself has to be set up to allow the driver to find the function they need by feel. So, particularly when they're breaking or cornering or managing traffic, that's all they they are concentrating on. So they this function of having to change something on the steering wheel is something they they need to do by instinct almost. So this is where the placement and the spacing of these controls becomes critical. And the fact that it is customized to each driver for that very same reason. Um, because that the drivers have such limited time to react without having to check these functions all the time. So the drivers, as a result of it, spent an inordinate amount of time learning the layouts of these steering wheels. Um, and particularly when they change teams, actually, that becomes even more important because they've got to learn a whole different layout, which a certain amount is customized to their requirement, but a certain amount is also reliant on how the how the team actually develops the steering wheel. So, and part of that also is the software that runs these um steering wheels, it could vary from team to team. So the drivers are also then learning an operating language as such as they as they move across. So while it is largely designed to suit a driver's hand habits, the process is actually quite different across teams. So as a result of it, the layout is not simply uh from a cosmetic point of view. It's sort of part ergonomics, it's part psychology, and part performance.
SPEAKER_01And how do Formula One drivers memorize and operate so many functions on the steering wheel at high speed? I mean, you just said muscle memory, but is there any other anything else they utilize?
SPEAKER_02So when you think of obviously the drivers, they are they are elite athletes. And if you look at an elite athlete in any sport, how do they become good at what they do? It's three factors. It's basically repetition, simplifying what they do, and and just going through drilled procedures over and over again. So these three factors they would do over and over and over again as part of their training. So they don't necessarily memorize the layout of a wheel the same way you would memorize, for instance, a diagram on a textbook. So they rehearse this until it becomes automatic as far as they are concerned. So by the time they actually race with these steering wheels, they know each of the key controls by touch. And so they know how the how each of the dials move, they know which settings belong to which, and they it is purely just practice, practice, and practice as far as they are concerned. So the teams help them as much as possible by grouping those functions in a lot logical format so that similar controls are placed together. Um, and drivers sort of will use um one particular subset regularly, uh, while others are reserved for special procedures uh as such. So the and the race engineers help out by they will actually cue the drivers at particular times to say, for instance, you know, do this change to your brake bias or no pit confirm or something like that. So there will be a prompt from the race engineer to the driver to say, no, yeah um initiate this particular function. And that's where they they help them out as well. So this is uh as much as we watch it, it is still in the background quite an underrated skill from a um sport point of view. But this is the nature of anyone in any sport that they do things so well that they make it look easy for the rest of us. And the way they manage the steering wheels is no different. It's purely the repetition and the muscle memory that they have built up with these functions. Um and and and forming. One drivers have probably some of the best reflexes of any sport going around. And this is comes through in how they actually manage these wheels.
SPEAKER_01So tell me, um, it's probably the Delzer we'll talk about here, but what roles does does the steering wheel play during key moments like race starts, safety cars, VSCs, of course, restarts and pit entry.
SPEAKER_02So these are sort of the moments where I guess the wheel stops being uh a piece of background equipment and becomes quite a mission critical piece of equipment. So at the start, the drivers use the clutch pedals, the pre- and the preset launch procedures to control how the wheels will actually bite, and to control any wheel spin and to ensure they get a very fast getaway from the grid. So during during safety periods and restarts, the wheel is used again to manage brake and tire performance and tire temperatures. And to so they just break bias to confirm any delta targets and also any of the display pages that actually arrive on their screens. Pit entry is another big one. The driver must hit the peak length speed limit at exactly the right time and often switch displays or confirm procedures while still braking and turning. This is why it's often we see drivers actually get this wrong and then get penalized for it because they are either distracted or they haven't reacted fast enough to activate that particular function. And because it is got a such a critical function. So these and these how the drivers actually apply those settings often can actually be, it would translate to either winning or losing a race. A poor clutch release, a wrong brake temperature setup, or a misstime pit limiter release can cost race position immediately on race day. So while the fans are actually often focusing on overtakes, the wheel is often very decisive in these transitional phases in a race because the car and the driver has to be prepared for what comes next in the race.
SPEAKER_01And how do drivers adjust settings on the steering wheel to deal with tire degradation, changing weather, or track evolution?
SPEAKER_02So they largely do this by chasing balance in the car and also preserving the car's optimal operating window across all the conditions. So, for instance, if the tires began to begin to degrade, the driver might adjust the brake bias or the differential settings to reduce any locking that might happen. They can settle down the instability of the rear of the car or improve traction on exit of a corner. So if the track rubbers in, cools down, or gets windier, for instance, the car's behavior will change with it. And the steering wheel lets the driver make more targeted corrections as they go along. So these are not magic fixes, shall we say, but they help to keep the car in that optimal uh operating window. And when the when the weather changes, the the that live adjustment, the importance of that live adjustment becomes, it goes up a few levels. So because the grip levels can move around quite quickly, the brake temperatures can fluctuate quite a bit. And so and also the energy deployment can change quite a bit. So it's quite important how the drivers manage that. Optimize, as I mentioned before, but keeping the car within an optimal operating window.
SPEAKER_01Now, uh, what information is shown uh on the steering wheel display and uh how critical is that that data during a race? I'd say probably very critical, right? Like we're uh there's probably um was it gear shifting shown on there? Like uh yeah, yeah, tip break it down for me.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so this is if you think of a road car, for instance, this is this is effectively the as small as it is, it is effectively the driver's dashboard. It is also not just a dashboard, but it's also an alert panel and also prompt on any change in tactics. It all all happens on that on that small screen. So it shows the essentials such as what gear the car is in, what the lap delta is, uh, any timing references that they may have, any system alarms of items that may be failing or causing issues. And then there are pages that they can be scrolled through in terms of the operating modes of the car. Depending on the team, each of those uh displays can be different. And it can also show prompts relating to pit entry, start procedures, uh, the state of energy within the veteran, and any particular race management requirements as such. The top LEDs on the steering wheels are often used as shift lights and can also be programmed as warning lights or status functions. So all of that actually collectively is quite critical because the driver cannot always rely on the race engineer for everything in that particular moment. So a lab delta may tell them whether they are inside a particular target, and a warning will tell them that a particular system needs attention. So the screen is definitely not decorative. It is quite a compressed flow of the most important information that the driver needs at that particular moment in time without overloading them with information as well. So the art of how these screens are actually set up is not to show them everything, but to show the right things at the right time. Um and that balance between information and usability is a very big challenge that teams face on how to actually set up that display and give the driver only the information they need at that particular moment in time.
SPEAKER_01So tell me, how do teams design steering wheels to balance complexity, usability, and driver preference?
SPEAKER_02So, what the teams, I guess, as part of doing this, they kind of need to accept uh a very basic truth. And the truth is the fact that that wheel has to be complex because the car is complex. So the the challenge is not to remove that complexity entirely, but to organize it in an intelligent fashion. So as mentioned before, they try and cluster common functions and they try and differentiate buttons by shape or feel, and they place the highest priority controls in the most re easy, easiest access positions on the steering wheel. So this they also use the feedback from the drivers quite heavily because a we a wheel that works in the factory may not necessarily work under turn under turn one, for instance. So this relies on how comfortable the drivers are with the setup of these wheels. And driver preference does matter a lot more than people actually think. And teams build this as a result of it, not just around the technical necessity, but also on how the driver thinks and moves. So that balance is actually quite important. So there between the technical absolute necessity versus the driver feel. Why? Because this actually allows the driver to do simplify how they do difficult things. And that's the main drier um intention behind it. So this in turn allows the driver to make the right change at the right time without hesitating or without having to look for most of the time. If they if if that is achieved, then the then their the team has actually achieved what they need to with that particular steering wheel. Um and gives the driver a wheel that can be used optimally under race conditions.
SPEAKER_01I remember back during those COVID seasons, it was the Qatar Grand Prix, one of them. It might have been two, but it was definitely at Qatar. George Russell had to step in for Mercedes because Lewis Hamilton uh came down with COVID. And the one of the big talking points of that Grand Prix was the fact that he had to learn that new steering wheel just, you know, within days of racing, stepping up from Williams. So can you tell me, Mohan, uh why a small mistake, why making a small mistake on the steering wheel, like selecting the wrong mode or setting, could have such a big impact on the race?
SPEAKER_02This is largely because obviously F1 systems are are quite tightly optimized and the margins that they're working within are very, very tiny. So for instance, a wrong brake bias step can affect the braking stability into the next corner. A wrong differential setting can hurt traction out of a slow turn. An incorrect pit limiter press can uh can lead to a penalty, or worse still costs the driver time. And with the hybrid systems, choosing the wrong energy behavior can leave a driver quite vulnerable on the track when it matters most. So when you're talking a tenth of a second separation and sometimes a thousandth of a second separation between drivers, a small input error can translate into a big swing in terms of a result. And this is even more true because the wheel actually governs a sequence of actions rather than an isolated action as such. So, for instance, a driver at one particular time might be braking, turning, checking the delta, and preparing for an overtake or a recharge all within a few seconds. And all of this is going on at the same time. So if they select the wrong function or select it in the wrong time, it can compromise them not only for that particular action, but it can compromise them for several corners to come, not just one. So that is why the teams actually put so much emphasis on quite disciplined procedures, and the drivers are almost on an obsessive level, will rehearse these functions and how to deploy them the best. So as a result of it, the impact of all of this is not purely because the wheel is fragile. Uh, it is because the car is so system dependent. And particularly in a modern F1 car, one wrong selection can disturb a lot of functions collectively. Um, and that can be the difference between winning and losing a race.
SPEAKER_01And how have the uh Formula One steering wheels evolved from the simpler designs of the past into the advanced systems that we use today?
SPEAKER_02So, as you mentioned before, there's been a transition of these wheels over the years. So the original F1 steering wheels were a lot closer to conventional racing wheels. They were round, they were comparatively simple, they focused mainly on steering, but with very few integrated controls as such. So that's that's actually quite akin to modern road cars, I guess. As the sport progressed to adding semi-automatic earboxes, more electronic systems, hybrid power units, and quite detailed race management procedures, the wheel gradually became the most logical place to centralize all of those functions. So if you look at the historical feel of some of these teams over the years, you can actually see the progression quite significantly. So with uh the later cars have drained more and more rotary dials on the steering and a lot more switches. Um and and it's as and in turn, it's actually asking a lot more of the driver to manage these settings from the cockpit rather than from the pit wall. So the hybrid era itself has accelerated that evolution quite significantly. Once the drivers had to manage uh electrical deployment and recovery, in addition to all the other functions that they have to perform, the steering wheel became quite an active operating interface rather than a passive object to control the wheels. The teams have also got a lot better at integrating the display. The LEDs are set up in a certain way, the layouts are very driver-specific. And as a result, the steering wheel is it's a very personalized piece of equipment. And certainly within 2026, this becomes even more central again. And because the drivers are now on top of everything else, are also managing Active Aero and the energy concepts rather than the previous DRS system that used to exist. Um if you look at the history of steering wheels, it actually has followed very closely with the history of F1 itself over the years, particularly as the cars have become more advanced. The steering wheel has been forced to evolve with those with those advancements into quite a compact command center within the car.
SPEAKER_01Do you think the steering wheels are becoming too complicated in modern Formula One, or are they an essential part of the sports technical challenge these days?
SPEAKER_02I would say they are definitely complicated, but I don't think they are unnecessarily complicated because modern F1 cars do ask a lot of the driver to do purely just managing mechanical grip on the target. They have to manage energy, they have to manage temperature, they have to manage any race procedures, they have to manage the tire balance of the tires. So there's a lot of things going on at the same time. And the steering wheel is effectively the central point of how these demands are translated into something the driver can use in a realistic way. So as I mentioned before, this complexity is come up from a transition of how complex the cars themselves have become over the years. That said, there is actually a lot of debate out there as to whether the cars do ask a lot of the drivers from a cognitive point of view, where the steering wheel sort of starts to look like a like a flight deck operation panel almost. So where where the um there's a feel that there is an overmanagement of any risks in that sense. But that the counter-argument to that is that the complex complexity of all of that is what defines the top level at Formula One. It's not just rewards for sort of bravery and speed, but it's also rewards sort of the driver's ability to process things in parallel, the discipline which which they have to do, and their technical understanding of the car itself and the behavior of the car. As a result, as a result, I don't think it is it is overly complicated. Um I think it is something that is a reflection of the progression of the sport.
SPEAKER_01Probably also a reflection of the current culture we live in, right? Like the phone, social media, clickbait type world. I imagine these drivers would be bored if they went back to the old steering wheels. Like it's um it's uh I feel like we're in a world now where uh most people would uh require that level of uh Japanese newspaper type experience.
SPEAKER_02So it's how we're gonna say and I guess it's if you do if you it's you see that translating into road cars as well these days, because of steering wheels on road cars are becoming way more complex, but also with a similar intention where uh you're trying to limit the amount the driver takes the hand off the steering wheel to to make a setting adjustment in the car. So you try and encourage them to keep both hands on the steering wheel. And so more and more functions are being built into road car steering wheels for the with the same reasons.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Yeah, it's a very good point. There's you know, even having the paddles in the road cars. Um I don't know why you'd need them uh in a lot in a lot of the road cars we have.
SPEAKER_02But um I certainly use that in my car, I must admit, and uh particularly when uh I drive my car on windy circuits, I get a lot of excitement out of using the paddles on my car, much to my wife's sorrow, I must admit.
SPEAKER_01I um I I reckon I use the the ones I've got, I reckon I use them one time and it just felt like too much effort after that. It's just it's too much traffic anyway in Melbourne. Um so so tell me, Mohan, uh with the 2026 season now underway. What has the steering wheel already revealed about how drivers are managing this new era of Formula One cars? Actually, yeah, quite it's like it's it's with the was it straight line mode and all that these days, it is a big change.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. And then it's what has also become again a reflection of the progression of the sport is that the steering wheel has become even more central to the to the car as such. The old overtaking sort of model that was built around DRS is now gone. And we have to think more actively around the recharge boost and overtake modes that are now installed. Alongside with the new Active Aero behavior as well. Um The explainers, I guess, within Formula One make it quite clear that the drivers are now working with a much broader set of tactical tools and recharge management is is quite a live part of the job, uh, which they didn't have previously. So, this what is what this I guess tells us is that the steering wheel is no longer where the driver simply reacts to the car. It is where they are proactively shaping how the car uses energy across a lap, um taking more uh more control of uh of the behavior of the car compared to to where uh it used to be previously. Um and we've had commits from team principals and team engineers, particularly around this year, um about um how much more complex that has become in terms of sort of battery management communication, um, in terms of managing aerodynamics and also managing chassis balance. And this is this has become a massive element of this sport that wasn't there previously, but it's also a trend that's going to continue.
SPEAKER_01All right, Mohan, uh, that's all the questions I've got for you. Is there anything else you want to add to the uh steering wheel conversation?
SPEAKER_02Uh no, again, actually what I said I would reiterate the fact that this uh should be looked at in hand in hand with um the graphics that we will put up on our socials. One thing that actually came out of this, and it probably with with the uh adjustment issues that have been happening with the new era, uh there's a lot of talk about the sports turning into Mario Kart, and it was quite funny to see that I think Ferrari and a couple of other teams had actually installed Mario Kart on the steering wheels for some of their drivers. And uh there was there's quite a lot of vision of uh these drivers in in their quiet time sitting in the car playing Mario Kart, basically.
SPEAKER_01That's brilliant. I think the um the one thing I'd say to those the Mario Kart critics is that everyone likes Mario Kart, so I don't really see the problem. So um yeah, that's that's great. Uh well thank you. Thank you for your time here, Mohan. The do you want to shout out the socials? I think what probably what we should do moving forward is also just put some the put the the main directory link or whatnot of the socials into the show notes so it's easily findable. Um but do you want to shout them out anyway?
SPEAKER_02Absolutely. Uh um social handle is boxboxbox Oz A U S and our website is boxboxbox.net.au, which again points to our socials as well. We are on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok next. And please like, subscribe, comment, uh, give us feedback on any of those. And this comes under our iPhone decoded uh group of podcasts, which as Scott mentioned before is a spin-off from our main boxbox box. But you can also then find these on our box box box pages as well. And the socials will also have links to our Link3 panels, which will take you in turn to your favorite podcast platform. And we are just about on every possible podcast platform currently. And uh please provide us with feedback as much as possible.
SPEAKER_01Yep, certainly. And as we've said before, the traffic is extremely low for our uh for anyone communicating with us, as much as we our listeners are building quite steadily. So Mohan will get back to you if you uh message him directly. And I can promise you that for now at least. And the I guess, yeah, if you're if you're listening to this on the the F1 decoded podcast, certainly check out our main podcast, because it's all on there, which is Boxbox Box. And yeah, thank you. Thank you for listening. Thank you for your time, Mohan. Uh and I guess what are we what are we going to decode after we we we finish Formula One? What where do you think we'll go?
SPEAKER_02Uh the next thing we actually we still have to do a second part of the tire discussion, which we had earlier in the year. And we might actually focus on that. Uh because there's a there's a whole uh another part of that, including um a historical aspect to look at as well from a from a tire's point of view, how they've evolved and days when there were two tire manufacturers on track and how they actually managed and the competitors that happened amongst those teams. So there's a whole nother discussion to be had on that, and we might actually focus on that. Um also to our listeners, is there particular technical aspects that you would like us to do a deep dive into, please let us know. Um, and we will we will try and uh uh develop uh a conversation around it.
SPEAKER_01So what are we gonna do when we when we finish all this? WRC, European truck racing. I don't really know.
SPEAKER_02Exactly. Uh I'm sure if I will come up with a whole new set of regulations that beat up to talk about it's a good thing. That's true.
SPEAKER_01This will this will be never ending. That's a very good point, actually. So wonderful. Thank you, Mohan. We'll wrap it up here. Uh thanks for joining us, and we'll see you all next time.