Motorsport Week
  • Formula 1
    • 2025 Formula 1 Calendar
    • 2025 Formula 1 Standings
  • Formula E
    • 2025 Formula E Calendar
    • 2025 Formula E Standings
  • IndyCar
    • 2025 IndyCar Calendar
    • 2025 IndyCar Standings
  • WRC
    • 2025 WRC Standings
    • 2025 WRC Calendar
  • MotoGP
    • 2025 MotoGP Calendar
    • 2025 MotoGP Standings
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
  • WEC
    • 2025 WEC Calendar
  • IMSA
    • 2025 IMSA Calendar
  • World SBK
  • More
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • F1 Academy
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
    • Technical Insight
    • Galleries
    • About/Contact
    • Privacy Policy
No Result
View All Result
  • Formula 1
    • 2025 Formula 1 Calendar
    • 2025 Formula 1 Standings
  • Formula E
    • 2025 Formula E Calendar
    • 2025 Formula E Standings
  • IndyCar
    • 2025 IndyCar Calendar
    • 2025 IndyCar Standings
  • WRC
    • 2025 WRC Standings
    • 2025 WRC Calendar
  • MotoGP
    • 2025 MotoGP Calendar
    • 2025 MotoGP Standings
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
  • WEC
    • 2025 WEC Calendar
  • IMSA
    • 2025 IMSA Calendar
  • World SBK
  • More
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • F1 Academy
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
    • Technical Insight
    • Galleries
    • About/Contact
    • Privacy Policy
No Result
View All Result
Motorsport Week
Home Single Seater Formula 1

DAS inspired by something Mercedes ran ‘a couple of years ago’ reveals chief designer

by Ryan Wood
5 years ago
A A
0
DAS inspired by something Mercedes ran ‘a couple of years ago’ reveals chief designer

Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W11. Formula One Testing, Day 3, Friday 28th February 2020. Barcelona, Spain.

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Mercedes’ chief designer John Owen has revealed that the Dual-Axis-Steering (DAS) system was inspired by something the team developed and ran “a couple of years ago”, but it failed to deliver what they had hoped.

DAS shocked the paddock when it was unveiled during pre-season testing after Lewis Hamilton was spotted pushing and pulling his steering wheel during an onboard shot. It transpired that he was adjusting the toe of the front wheels for increased straight-line speed, improved grip and better tyre wear.

Rivals weren’t convinced such a system is legal despite the FIA giving it approval, and in fact Red Bull had been set to protest Mercedes at the first race of the season in Australia before it was cancelled at the last minute.

Speaking about DAS in more detail, Owen revealed that is was inspired by another system Mercedes ran on their car a couple of years ago and admitted surprise that the rules didn’t ban such a system.

RelatedPosts

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri [McLaren] celebrate their 1-2 finish at the 2025 F1 Austrian GP

How the Austrian GP cemented F1 2025 as a two-horse race

11 hours ago
Andrea Kimi Antonelli (ITA) Mercedes AMG F1 W16 retired from the race. 29.06.2025. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 11, Austrian Grand Prix, Spielberg, Austria, Race Day

Toto Wolff: Kimi Antonelli’s ‘unfortunate’ Austria F1 error ‘can happen to the greats’

12 hours ago

“The DAS system was born out of the ashes of something else we’d tried and actually raced on the car a couple of years ago that sort of worked, but didn’t really deliver all the promise that we had in it,” he said in a Mercedes video.

“That was sort of put to one side as something we tried and perhaps didn’t live up to our expectations. There are many other things like that that are out there, within the team, within people’s minds, projects that people remember.

“The DAS system was really well, what about if you could do something like this, what do the rules say? And the rules effectively didn’t stop it. We thought that’s unusual and surprising.

“Then you get into it more and more and more, and you say well how would I stop it, and take the opposite approach and say well I’m now going to stop someone from having this, what would I do, what would my arguments be?

“Then you have a system where you thought about what someone else’s arguments would be, and you’ve made it so it doesn’t trip up on any of those.”

Owen went on to add that the Mercedes W11 has many other innovations that he can’t discuss, but believed they would cause as much of a stir if they were as visually obvious as the DAS system.

“What the DAS system proved is that there’s definitely craving in Formula 1 still for that sort of innovation, where suddenly the driver is moving the steering wheel different to what everyone else is, and something is happening that we didn’t expect,” added Owen.

“I think that’s perhaps what’s lacking, that visual innovation that people can talk about and get excited about.

“There’s a lot of things on the 2020 Mercedes that are great innovations, none of which we really want to talk about because they are an important competitive advantage.

“But there is one of them that obviously is so visual, and talked about a lot.

“I think the sport would be better if there were more of those talking points. It would bring a lot more interest into the sport.”

Tags: DASF1Mercedes
Share238Tweet124Share

Related Posts

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri [McLaren] celebrate their 1-2 finish at the 2025 F1 Austrian GP
Feature

How the Austrian GP cemented F1 2025 as a two-horse race

11 hours ago
Andrea Kimi Antonelli (ITA) Mercedes AMG F1 W16 retired from the race. 29.06.2025. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 11, Austrian Grand Prix, Spielberg, Austria, Race Day
Formula 1

Toto Wolff: Kimi Antonelli’s ‘unfortunate’ Austria F1 error ‘can happen to the greats’

12 hours ago
Oscar Piastri has explained his call to pit four laps later than Lando Norris in Austria
Formula 1

Why Oscar Piastri committed to F1 Austrian GP strategy he’s admitted was a mistake

13 hours ago
Load More

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Upcoming Races

#EventDate
11Austrian GP27-29 June
12British GP04-06 July
13Belgian GP25-27 July
14Hungarian GP01-03 August
15Dutch GP29-31 August

Click here for the full 2025 F1 calendar

Drivers’  Standings

#DriverPts
Oscar Piastri216
Lando Norris201
Max Verstappen155
George Russell146
Charles Leclerc120
Lewis Hamilton91
Andrea Kimi Antonelli63
Alexander Albon42
Isack Hadjar28
Esteban Ocon23

Click here for full Drivers’ Standings

Latest Articles

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri [McLaren] celebrate their 1-2 finish at the 2025 F1 Austrian GP
Feature

How the Austrian GP cemented F1 2025 as a two-horse race

June 30, 2025
Andrea Kimi Antonelli (ITA) Mercedes AMG F1 W16 retired from the race. 29.06.2025. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 11, Austrian Grand Prix, Spielberg, Austria, Race Day
Formula 1

Toto Wolff: Kimi Antonelli’s ‘unfortunate’ Austria F1 error ‘can happen to the greats’

June 30, 2025
Oscar Piastri has explained his call to pit four laps later than Lando Norris in Austria
Formula 1

Why Oscar Piastri committed to F1 Austrian GP strategy he’s admitted was a mistake

June 30, 2025

Follow Motorsport Week

Join our daily motorsport newsletter

* indicates required

Motorsport Week

© 2024 Motorsport Media Services Ltd

Other Links

  • About & Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Motorsport Monday

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • Home
  • Formula 1
    • Latest News
    • 2025 F1 Calendar
    • 2025 F1 Championship Standings
  • Formula E
    • Latest News
    • 2025 FE Calendar
    • 2025 FE Championship Standings
  • MotoGP
    • Latest News
    • 2025 MotoGP Calendar
    • 2025 MotoGP Standings
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
  • WRC
    • Latest News
    • 2025 WRC Calendar
    • 2025 WRC Standings
  • IndyCar
    • Latest News
    • 2025 IndyCar Calendar
    • 2025 IndyCar Standings
  • WEC
    • Latest News
    • 2025 WEC Calendar
  • Live Updates
  • Other
    • IMSA
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • F1 Academy
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
  • Galleries
  • About/Contact
  • Privacy Policy

© 2024 Motorsport Media Services Ltd