When people think about racing, they think about speed, reflexes, and skill. But how often do they think about the smaller, necessary aspects of said skills? A new video by Mercedes-AMG shows us just how complicated the steering wheel is on a Formula 1 race vehicle.

In the video, pro driver Valtteri Bottas shows us the wheel up close, showing things like the "Strat" knob, talk button and more. Some of the wheel's abilities are kept a secret in order to maintain some internal security at the company. You can really tell when Bottas mentions his favorite button, only to have it censored out in post editing.

This also gives us a closer look at just how complex a racing vehicle is. The vehicle in the example had over 15 different driving modes for different situations. This stretches from maintaining the lead to trying to overtake an opponent. The driver has to intelligently switch between these modes while still paying attention to the track and their surroundings.



Engineer Evan Short also speaks in the video, explaining how the technology was developed with the treacherous conditions of racing in mind. The driver has high vibrations, thick gloves, and short moments to work with. As such, the wheels are produced with these in mind, from shock resistant parts to rubber linings. Costing a hefty $60,000, all of that stability comes at a pretty penny.

While not every race car will have a steering wheel quite like this, it does give us casual drivers a far greater insight into the intense nature of racing we don't normally see.

I'll stick to my Sunday driving, thank you.