“People’s First Reaction is That it’s Illegal” – Mercedes Bashes Its Critics

During the pre-season tests, Mercedes F1 turned plenty of heads in the paddock with an unusual idea. The German outfit introduced the Dual Axis Steering system (DAS) and their rivals were green with envy. As per the official explanation, the DAS adjusts the car’s toe, providing the W11 with a slight advantage?

In a recent video, Mercedes head designer John Owen explained the DAS system’s ins and outs. If Mercedes wanted their innovation to be an eye-catcher, they did a really really good job. Unfortunately, it good a little too much attention, as competitors accused Mercedes of an illegal concept. The team breathed a sigh of relief temporarily, but the FIA have not dismissed it.

”Innovation never really consists of new ideas, because there are hardly any anymore. They are more remnants of old ideas, which in turn give rise to new ideas. That was also the case with the DAS system. We’ve tried something similar years ago, but it didn’t work, so we dropped it,” said Owen.

However, he later admitted that when the opportunity arose again, Mercedes had to try and incorporate it into their car. Owen confessed that nothing in the rulebook opposed a similar system.

Why such a big hue and cry over Mercedes and its new toy?

He knows that when one team tries something revolutionary, competitors immediately try to stop it. The more they work on it, the better their own system becomes, because once it actually sees the light of day, rival teams’ hands are tied.

Although several teams tried to cry wolf, Owen insisted that they have not found anything untoward. He concluded. ”People’s first reaction is that it’s illegal, but the longer people look at it, the more you hear: ‘Damn, it might be within the rules, but why haven’t we seen this before? Now everyone is trying to find something within the rules that would make it illegal, but that’s how F1 is.”

Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic has ensured that the DAS system has not been deployed yet. Almost half the 2020 F1 races faced postponement or cancellation and no car has hit the tarmac.