Racing in F1 is just as different from taking your father’s car for a spin in the neighbourhood as it can be! In fact, getting behind the wheel of a Formula One is akin to being strapped in the pilot seat of a fighter jet.
Steering a racing car that can top 200 mph through the twisting racing track requires a lot of skill. However, the steering wheel of a Formula One racer is nothing like the standard steering wheel of a vehicle. A steering wheel filled with colourful buttons is just what an F1 driver requires to adjust his speeding car on the fly.
The steering wheel of a Formula One racer is a baffling array of buttons, switches, and knobs. Some of the buttons included in the panel, as highlighted by the Jalopnik, are:
“Buttons
BB- / BB+ – Brake-by-wire management (adjusting the brake balance down / up) OT – The ‘overtake’ button
N – Neutral
+10 / +1 – Multifunctional switches, located in an optimal position
Radio – Activated the driver to engineer radio
DRS – Operates the DRS flap
Limiter – Engages the pit lane limiter
Marker – Used to identify a point of interest in the data as indicated by the driverPC/R – Confirms pit entry by sending an automated alert to the garage. This allows the crew to prepare for the arrival of a car, regardless of whether it’s been indicated on the radio that the driver is coming in.”
PC/R – Confirms pit entry by sending an automated alert to the garage. This allows the crew to prepare for the arrival of a car, regardless of whether it’s been indicated on the radio that the driver is coming in.”
You can see a steering wheel of F1, the hybrid tech pod of a car, in action in this video: