©Mercedes
CUSTOM MADE
Since 2013, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg each use a specific steering wheel display which include preferred features and colours. Only the 'N' neutral button and diff wheels appear to be located in the same spot.
For instance, on Rosberg's car, the overtake OT button, which gives the driver a touch of additional power, remains in the same spot, but Hamilton has replaced it with an 'X' button. The Mercedes drivers have also chosen different options for the three rotary dials while the DRS function is located on the left side of the hub for Hamilton, and on the right for Rosberg.
Several other features are inverse on the respective cars, like the +1/+10 and BB-/BB+ buttons. Also, Rosberg has swapped the HI SPD/ENTRY wheels with Hamilton's MID/INIT labels.
It takes about six weeks for the high-tech carbon based steering wheels to be built, and Mercedes supplies three to each car for every Grand Prix weekend.
The required custom design and layout is certainly not an unnecessary luxury, for a driver needs to enjoy a clear read of each function, and the ability to move swiftly and comfortably from one specific setting to another. Changing a Formula 1 car's direction is perhaps the least of a modern Grand Prix driver's worries...
©Mercedes
