Hamilton makes extraordinary revelation: 'If only I had a patent on it'
Mercedes F1 Media
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Lewis Hamilton appears to be capable of much more than just racing. For example, in an interview with CNA Luxury that he designed a steering wheel at McLaren and Mercedes, which other F1 teams have now adopted.
Hamilton is in his 16th season in Formula 1 and with seven world titles and 103 victories under his belt, it is fair to say that the Briton is perhaps the most successful driver of all time. However, the Mercedes driver is not only concerned with racing. As it turns out, the Brit also has a feel for the steering wheel in his car.
Hamilton the designer
''What a lot of people don’t actually know is that I re-designed the steering wheel when I was at McLaren. And when I came to Mercedes, I did the same thing, and the other teams have all copied the wheel,'' the seven-time world champion said in the interview.
Whereas steering wheels used to be all round, Hamilton's design is more of a rectangle. As a result, there are clear straight handles on the side and there is also a bottom and top. ''I should have copyrighted it. This is something I'm really proud of,'' says the 37-year-old driver.
Hamilton says he really enjoys working on the ergonomics of the car. For instance, he also claims to have filed his seat to get more modifications to it and his pedals have also been modified.