Stewards at Formula 1’s Austrian Grand Prix have rejected Red Bull’s protest against Mercedes’ Dual-Axis Steering (DAS) system, therefore ruling the device to be compliant with the rules.
DAS appeared on the W11 during pre-season testing in Spain, with footage showing Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas pushing and pulling their steering wheels to adjust the toe angle of the front wheels.
Mercedes has repeatedly insisted that the system is legal, having sought clarification from the FIA before implementing it, though Red Bull indicated that it had doubts over the legality of the device.
The system has already been outlawed for 2021 as part of a cost-saving measure.
Red Bull had been expected to lodge a protest in Australia, prior to the event’s cancellation, and on Friday in Austria Mercedes confirmed that DAS was being run on both cars in practice, prompting further threats of a protest.
Representatives from Red Bull, Mercedes and the FIA convened on Friday evening and the verdict was eventually delivered after midnight.
The stewards deemed that while Mercedes’ DAS was not a conventional system it did not transgress any regulation, thus meaning it can be run on the W11 throughout 2020.
“The Stewards believe DAS is part of the Steering system, albeit not a conventional one,” a statement from the stewards on Friday night stated. “The key challenges to the legality of DAS rely on it not being part of the Steering system.
“As a general conclusion, it is very simple to conclude DAS would be illegal IF it were not part of the steering system. So the main challenge and debate has to be on whether it can be considered to be part of the steering system.
“The Stewards decide that DAS is a part of the Steering system…the Stewards conclude that the DAS system is not part of the suspension, nor can it be considered to illegitimately adjust the suspension.”
The full report on the matter can be read below.
