2021 AMG Mercedes F1 Team

[littlebigcat]

The position isn't necessarily the problem, I'd say the UI elements are more of the issue. All it needs to be is press and hold to toggle on, with a single press off and some audio feedback and the issue will be avoid in the future.

[NathanOlder]

The position isn't necessarily the problem, I'd say the UI elements are more of the issue. All it needs to be is press and hold to toggle on, with a single press off and some audio feedback and the issue will be avoid in the future.

Yeah exactly, just a hold it down and press another random button with the other hand, means it takes the same time to ativate but is almost impossible to do by mistake. Problem solved.

[DarthPlagueisTheVise]

It isn’t so much a case of - not doing it again, more a recognition/understanding that there’s a significant hand grip change that happens during starts/restarts because of how HAM positions his hand over the steering wheel. Given that this is known and the button is placed where it is, a countermeasure of sorts would be prudent. Job done

But it still has to be easily usable. Don't know how many races it has been there and how many other cars have it, but is a once off accident worth too much effort when we consider where it will be moved to etc as it is obviously in an appropriate place which he is no doubt used to. Maybe a warning light that stays on? but the wheel is already a very buzzy place. Obviously if there is a ready option then a fix should be done, but a one in 10 thousand (or what ever) can not usually be designed around easily and could just being another hazard like missing it during a race.

Not saying it should not be 'fixed', but is it a kneejerk again

We’ll if HAMs start procedure was conventional I’d probably agree with you, it isn’t. It’s hard to know exactly when he started resting his hand on the steering wheel, but I think it’s the 19/20 season. The ratio is therefore something like 1 accidental press in maybe 30ish starts (at a guess). That’s a pretty poor strike rate. And as for a fix, a double tap to activate or similar sorts the problem out.

He has been using this technique since germany 2019

[214270]

He has been using this technique since germany 2019

How did you check this if you don’t mind me asking?

[e30ernest]

Jolyon Palmer's analysis of the errant button press:



So he says it's on the upshift, which means it's his right that hit the button. There's a frame on the onboard where his right index is very close to where that button would be (it's just as Perez turns into him to defend).

[Big Tea]

at just after 9 in that vid he shows Russell had the same thing

[e30ernest]

Yeah Russell was lucky that he was already driving gingerly in the pits and that he braked early. Any later and he would have taken out the jackman.

[214270]

No, Palmer is assuming it’s on the right because it happened on the upshift. He doesn’t know exactly and says as much. It is in fact on the left for HAM. BOT has it on the front amongst the prime switch real estate. Not sure what the corresponding button at the rear on the right is for though.

I guess the confluence of upshifting, steering away from PER & altering hand position led to the inadvertent press.

[DarthPlagueisTheVise]

He has been using this technique since germany 2019

How did you check this if you don’t mind me asking?

I generally watch a lot of onboards on F1TV and my favorite driver is Lewis so yeah

[e30ernest]

No, Palmer is assuming it’s on the right because it happened on the upshift. He doesn’t know exactly and says as much. It is in fact on the left for HAM. BOT has it on the front amongst the prime switch real estate. Not sure what the corresponding button at the rear on the right is for though.

I guess the confluence of upshifting, steering away from PER & altering hand position led to the inadvertent press.

Any official source that it is on the left? I thought that was a guess too? I think it was Bono who told Lewis he hit it on the upshift. You can clearly see his index finger near the area where those rear buttons are on the right side on his shift from 2nd to 3rd.

[214270]

No, Palmer is assuming it’s on the right because it happened on the upshift. He doesn’t know exactly and says as much. It is in fact on the left for HAM. BOT has it on the front amongst the prime switch real estate. Not sure what the corresponding button at the rear on the right is for though.

I guess the confluence of upshifting, steering away from PER & altering hand position led to the inadvertent press.

Any official source that it is on the left? I thought that was a guess too? I think it was Bono who told Lewis he hit it on the upshift. You can clearly see his index finger near the area where those rear buttons are on the right side on his shift from 2nd to 3rd.

Not quite sure what you mean by official, but there’s a good illustration here: https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/expl ... u/6544419/

There’s also a pic of BOTs steering wheel; the red button with BW is the brake magic switch.

[RZS10]

The race debrief should be released today, they'll probably address it

[dans79]

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... CE8FX.html

The brake magic button on the back of the Mercedes steering wheel is there to give an instant switch to almost full front brake bias as an aid to heating up the front tyres before the start or restart of a race. In normal running the front bias would be running at something like 52-53%. Brake magic switches it instantly to whatever it’s been set for – in this case believed to be 86.5%. It is not a race setting and is only used on warm-up laps or behind the Safety Car.

The simplest fix would be that the button has to be depressed for a certain period of time to turn on, and then only stays active while it's continually depressed. Unless Merc is using some kind of special button this would most likely be purely a software update.

As someone who works as a software developer, this is the type of gotcha I try and design out of a new system at the very beginning!

[DrDejan]

It seems Palmer doesn’t like Bottas much. In the latest analysis, he again criticizes Bottas for his race craft. I must say, so far Palmer is pretty compelling with his opinions.

[Marty_Y]

It seems Palmer doesn’t like Bottas much. In the latest analysis, he again criticizes Bottas for his race craft. I must say, so far Palmer is pretty compelling with his opinions.

He's always had the opinion that Bottas doesn't get his elbows out enough and isn't aggressive enough.

But I've heard him say that he is the perfect teammate for Lewis.

I think he likes him as a person afaik.