Let’s explore what Formula 1 drivers see on their steering wheel during a Grand Prix. The steering wheel is one of the most fascinating components of an F1 car, distinguished by the sheer number of controls compared to road cars. It is also highly secretive. The display shows numerous critical pieces of information for the driver, some of which are extremely sensitive. It’s no surprise that teams often obscure the dashboard when publishing onboard videos from helmet cams. However, by collecting some valuable images, we were able to identify and present all the data visible on Lando Norris’ steering wheel during a race.
The Norris steering wheel display
Side sections
The lateral edges of the screen host vertical colored indicators linked to the car’s hybrid system. Specifically, the bar on the right shows the battery’s state of charge (SoC), indicating the remaining energy available, while the blue bar on the left displays the energy remaining for the current lap. F1 regulations set a maximum energy deployment limit of 4 MJ per lap, regardless of the battery’s current charge level.
Top section
The upper part of the display shows information directly related to the race. In the top-left corner, the last completed lap time is displayed, while the top-right corner shows the real-time gap for the current lap compared to the fastest lap.
Also in the top-left corner are indicators for the brakes: brake balance and brake migration. These are essential tools for adjusting the distribution of braking force between the front and rear axles depending on the track configuration. Drivers often adjust these values multiple times per lap to maximize braking efficiency while avoiding wheel lockup and optimizing the car’s balance through corners. Next to these, two small colored squares indicate brake temperatures: blue for cold, green for optimal, and red for overheated.
Central section
At the center of the dashboard, the current gear is displayed, with the tire temperature section located just below. Similar to the brakes, colored squares appear around the numbers to indicate whether the tire is above or below its optimal operating window. This information is crucial for assessing available grip and managing the tires correctly throughout the race. During qualifying and on the starting grid, these indicators help bring the tires to the ideal temperature set by the engineers, maximizing grip for flying laps or at the race start.
Moving slightly to the right, the display shows the gap to the two drivers ahead and behind, allowing the driver to evaluate their pace and maintain an overall understanding of the race situation.
It is important to note that F1 steering wheel dashboards are not uniform across teams or even between drivers. Each driver customizes their display according to the information they consider most relevant and where they prefer it to appear on the screen.
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