Analysis - Ferrari wishbone clutch, Mercedes steering wheel settings

Continuing our Sunday morning theme of steering wheel insights, we take a closer look at 2016 developments on those at Ferrari and Mercedes with the help of renowned technical illustrator Giorgio Piola...

Ferrari SF16-H - single wishbone clutch paddle

With the 2016 rules requiring drivers to use only one clutch paddle for the race start, Ferrari have chosen to move away from the traditional double paddle arrangement. We first showed you the Scuderia’s set-up back at round one in Australia, but this alternative angle illustrates how the paddle’s pivot is not in the middle as you might expect, but on one side. This allows for a much longer and adjustable movement compared to the traditional solution retained by other teams.

Mercedes F1 W07 Hybrid - steering wheel labels

The 2016 steering wheels may be largely of similar shape to their 2015 counterparts, but they are becoming much more complex in order to cope with the new rules that limit communication with the pit wall. In essence, far more settings decisions are down to the driver and for the first time here we can see labels featuring question marks on Nico Rosberg’s wheel. One can assume these are to remind the driver to think twice before changing certain critical settings, with the system possibly also asking for additional confirmation before implementing the requested adjustment.