A Formula 1 steering wheel is phenomenally complex, with enough paddles, buttons and dials to confuse the average driver.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has now revealed that it was his own innovative approach when back at McLaren that lead the wheels to have the flat, paddled look that they have in the current cars.
Never happy with standing still, the Brit is always looking for ways to better himself and his result, with many who have worked with the superstar commending his intelligence and understanding of a Formula 1 car.
“What a lot of people don’t actually know is that I re-designed the steering wheel when I was at McLaren,” the Mercedes driver revealed to CNA Luxury.
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“And when I came to Mercedes, I did the same thing, and the other teams have all copied the wheel.
“All the old wheels used to be circular.
“Now, you’ll see there’s a top and the handle comes down and it doesn’t join at the bottom,” he described.
“I should have copyrighted it.”
The 37-year-old has recently said that while he is unsure what he will do when his racing days are over, he sees himself staying at Mercedes for the rest of his life.
With the steering wheel not being his only contribution to the design of the cars, maybe the Brit will transition into a more creative role at Mercedes upon his retirement.
“I also designed the seat for my cockpit: I filed it down and it’s been pretty much the same seat for [almost] ten years with the team.
“We also redesigned the pedals with the engineers,” he continued.
“Those are the things I love to do, as it allows me to tap into a bit of creativity.”
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Always thinking about the future, Hamilton claims that he is already putting the building blocks in place for when he does decide to call time on his illustrious career, with his journey with Mercedes far from over.
“When an athlete does retire, it’s like the whole world comes to a stop.
“So I’m trying to put these things in place so that it’s a very easy transition for me afterwards.”