Formula 1
F1 steering wheels: Why customised controls are vital to drivers
Formula 1 steering wheels took a huge leap in 1989 when Ferrari fitted gearshift paddles, and since then their functionality and complexity has grown exponentially.
Matt Somerfield Giorgio Piola
Published: Apr 3, 2024, 11:00 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Giorgio Piola's F1 technical analysis
Giorgio Piola is the preeminent Formula 1 technical journalist. View our full selection of Giorgio's technical illustrative content
The wheel still steers the car – not everything has changed! – but this simple function to direct the car has been added to time and again.
In essence, F1 reinvented the wheel’s usage, and it has undergone incredible development across the last 35 years.
F1 steering wheels now also provides the driver and their engineers with a wealth of information that can lead to better decisions, while also offering an interface with which to control key functions for the power unit and chassis.
For those reasons, let alone the ergonomic alterations that are also made, a steering wheel is customised on an individual level for each driver.
If we take Ferrari as an example, there’s one significant difference in the layout of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz’s steering wheels, with both drivers having a different preference when it comes to the layout of their clutch paddle(s).
Steering wheel of Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Steering wheel of Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Leclerc prefers a single, wishbone-style paddle, with a left-hand hinge that allows him to use his right hand to modulate the clutch. Meanwhile, Sainz has a twin paddle layout, which gives him the option of using either hand to operate the clutch.
This may seem like a subtle difference but there’s obviously a very different ratio in the movement of each paddle, which clearly works better for how they feel and activate the clutch.
Sainz arrived at Ferrari having already used a similar layout on his McLaren steering wheel in 2020 and retained it, whereas Leclerc had previously operated a twin-paddle layout at Sauber and made the switch to the wishbone-style layout that Ferrari had become familiar with, having worked with the same design during Sebastian Vettel’s and Kimi Raikkonen’s tenure.
In a sea of buttons, switches and rotaries, all of which have dominion over certain aspects of the chassis and power unit, each driver further explores what works best for them, with some of the thumb rotaries in the upper half of the wheel providing different functionality for each driver, while buttons can also be moved to better suit each driver’s needs.
Steering wheel of Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24
Photo by: Ferrari
This is one aspect of Ollie Bearman’s debut, in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, that shows how impressive a job the Brit did at such short notice. He used Carlos Sainz’s steering wheel, rather than the specification used by Charles Leclerc, which is what he’d become accustomed to when driving in the simulator.
It’s understood that Bearman had asked to use Leclerc’s spare wheel but the request was denied, as this could have jeopardised both drivers if a failure on one was to occur.
This meant that Bearman had to adapt, not only to the change in clutch paddle position but also in the position of some of the buttons, with the DRS button on Leclerc’s wheel swapped out for a brake balance adjustment on Sainz’s, for example.
Williams FW46 steering wheel
Photo by: Williams
Williams has made significant changes to its steering wheel for 2024, which comes a decade on from the arrival of the hybrid power unit and the introduction of a larger display, known as a PCU-8D.
Supplied to the teams by McLaren Applied Technologies, it can have up to 100 user customizable pages, which makes it an incredibly useful resource for both the driver and engineers.
But not all teams made the switch to this new display in 2014, as no fewer than five of the 11 teams continued to use the smaller PCU-6D display that teams had been using for years. Of those five, Lotus, Caterham and Force India all incorporated theirs within the steering wheel, whereas Williams and Red Bull opted to mount it on the cockpit’s dashboard, which allowed them to utilise a butterfly-style steering wheel design.
All these teams made the leap to the larger display in 2015, with the PCU-6D simply unable to display as much information as its successor. While all of their rivals switched to a steering wheel mounted display, Williams did not, as they forged on with a dash mounted position (below).
Display comparison (Older PCU6D upper, Newer PCU8D lower)
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Williams FW36 steering wheel (butterfly design) using older PCU6D display screen (arrowed)
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Finally making the decision to mount the display within its wheel has resulted in a new shape steering wheel for Williams too, one which still has a slightly stylistic approach in order to save weight and reduce inertia, as the half forms a triangle, rather than being squared-off like its rivals are.
Read Also:
Formula 1Williams brings temporary fix for F1 steering wheel glitch
Formula 1Giorgio Piola's history of F1 steering wheel evolution
Formula 1F1 steering wheels: How they work, what the buttons do and more
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article McLaren unveils first one-off 2024 F1 livery for Japan GP
Next article Why there will be no place to hide for F1 teams in Suzuka
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Matt Somerfield
Gallery: How F1 tech evolved during the 2024 season
Formula 1
Formula 1
Gallery: How F1 tech evolved during the 2024 season
How McLaren’s rear wing push changed the game in F1
Formula 1
Formula 1
How McLaren’s rear wing push changed the game in F1
How 2026 F1 rules will help avoid identikit designs
Formula 1
Formula 1
How 2026 F1 rules will help avoid identikit designs
More from
Ferrari
On this day: Fernando Alonso wins the world title, Michael Schumacher retires from F1
Formula 1
Formula 1
Brazilian GP
6 h
On this day: Fernando Alonso wins the world title, Michael Schumacher retires from F1
The figures that show Mercedes has lost its supremacy in F1 2026
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
The figures that show Mercedes has lost its supremacy in F1 2026
Latest news
IndyCar set to drop Nashville Superspeedway and D.C. for 2027; Barcelona announcement looms
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 38 min
IndyCar set to drop Nashville Superspeedway and D.C. for 2027; Barcelona announcement looms
Carlos Sainz: "Difficult to be convinced" that F1 2026 can finish in the Middle East
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
41 min
Carlos Sainz: "Difficult to be convinced" that F1 2026 can finish in the Middle East
F1 United States GP: Friday schedule, weather forecast and how to watch
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
F1 United States GP: Friday schedule, weather forecast and how to watch
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe