• Formula 1. Mercedes' latest revolution: a steering wheel to change the angle of the front wheels

The first pre - season week of the German Sebastian Vettel is being an ordeal, since after the first day he could not roll for a tenth of a fever, today Friday on the third day of training at the Circuit of Barcelona-Catalonia he had to get off the car for a problem with its engine .

The impact on the propeller motivated a red flag and then in the garage forced the team to change the SF1000 engine, which left the German champion idle from 10:30 am. When the break occurred there had already been 40 laps, with a better time of 1: 18.284, far from those that Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas has been marking in the morning.

Precisely the German team again reached the best records of fast time, with a return of 1: 15,732 by Bottas, setting the record for these winter trials in Barcelona.

Just as yesterday Thursday the Lewis Hamilton car showed the new steering wheel movement system (DAS), today Bottas also released it, although everything indicates that the FIA ​​is more than likely to give it approval for this course, not so next year, with the entry of the new regulation.

This new system that has been seen for the first time in Barcelona, ​​called DAS, means that in the Mercedes the pilot can move the steering wheel longitudinally towards his body, causing a slight convergence of the wheels, and with it, in theory, lower heating of the wheels.

The mechanism is started by the pilot pulling the steering wheel towards his body when he faces a straight line and picks it up in the corners. Mercedes has not yet assessed the benefits it was looking for and has found with this system that, since yesterday, Thursday, it has been the most prominent issue in the Barcelona-Catalonia Circuit paddock.

Carlos Sainz got back on the McLaren, although he will give it to his partner Lando Norris this afternoon. The Spaniard was doing long runs, in which he obtained a better time of 1: 18: 274, after the last 76 laps this week.

These were the best times reached on Friday by the ten drivers who participated in the morning session of the third day of F1 trials, which are held in the Circuit of Barcelona-Catalonia:

.one. Valtteri Bottas FIN-Mercedes 1: 15.732 65

.two. Esteban Ocon FRA-Renault 1: 17.102 76

.3. Lance Stroll CAN-Racing Point 1: 17,338 52

.4. Daniil Kvyat RUS-AlphaTauri 1.17.427 62

.5. Max Verstappen NDL-Red Bull 1: 17.636 66

.6. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA-Alfa Romeo 1: 18.035 65

.7. Carlos Sainz SPA-McLaren 1: 18.274 76

.8. Romain Grosjean FRA-Haas 1: 18.380 48

.9. Sebastian Vettel GER-Ferrari 1: 18.384 40

10. Nicholas Lafiti CAN-Williams 1: 19.004 44.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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