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(Motorsport-Total.com) – The Mercedes team will do without the DAS (“Dual Axis Steering”) steering system in free practice at the Portugal race weekend. The world championship team wants to use the session without driving assistance to prepare for next year. The use of DAS will be prohibited from 2021.
© Giorgio Piola
Mercedes expands DAS in Portimao for training Focus
The DAS system, which first appeared in winter testing in Barcelona, is only used by the two Mercedes drivers in certain situations during a weekend. The position of the wheels can be adjusted by pulling and pushing the steering wheel while driving.
The system helps the driver to warm the tires more. This is why Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas use the system at the end of a Safety Car phase to optimally prepare for the restart.
Mercedes is the only team using this system this season. To avoid costly modifications by competitors, the FIA banned the DAS shortly after it became known starting next year. As a result, the team will have to make changes to the steering system by 2021.
In order to assess the effects of the loss of DAS in the best possible way, the team will extend the system on both cars during free practice in Portimao. Our exclusive photo shows that the address has already been changed (see above).
Formula 1 technology: what Mercedes had to convert for DAS
In this animation, Formula 1 technology expert Giorgio Piola compares the current Mercedes W11 to its predecessor, the W10. You can see how Mercedes had to convert the car to be able to use the new two-axis steering (DAS). More Formula 1 videos
With six racing weekends to go, Mercedes has enough time to check and remedy any unforeseen effects. Lewis Hamilton praised his team for innovation on Thursday. His team will present even more “ingenious” solutions in the future.
“Many of the addresses in Valtteri [Bottas] and I’ve been pushing the car for the last few years, it’s paid off, and then there are other things the team came up with – some amazing designs like ESE, “he says.
Hamilton believes that Mercedes will be strong next year even without DAS. “Of course there are [DAS] not next year, which is perfectly fine, we will be different [Lösungen] find, another genius will come up with another great way to move the team forward. “
