The steering wheel

Due to the limited space of the cockpit of a Formula 1 car and the degree of concentration and attention that is required to drive a F1 car, the wheel of one of these cars not only control the steering of the vehicle, but is also a complex interface with multiple devices, it gives the pilot information through displays, and also controls the vehicle by buttons.

The introduction of the semi-automatic gearbox control in the rear of the steering wheel marked the beginning of the transition to focus controls as near of the pilot’s fingers as possible

The first buttons to appear in the steering wheel the death point and the radio buttons to communicate with technicians of the boxes team. Except for the gas pedals and brakes, few F1 cars have controls in different places at the wheel. It is common to use buttons for on/off as the one for the habilitation to limit the speed in the boxes road, and the turning controls are used to select functions with multiple options, as the autoblock different action, braking distribution, or the electric engine management.

It also has one or more LCD screens for a better view of the electronic giving orders as well as other facts like the speed al time per lap.

The technical racing regulations demanded that the pilot must be able to go out from the cabin in five seconds, so the steering wheel should be easily removable.

An F1 steering wheel is expensive because it is not done massively; it is handmade one by one using just carbon fiber with some more than two kilograms.