General
Wolff: "The FIA must determine whether the DAS system is legal."
In Barcelona there was already a lot of talk about it and also in Austria it has been a hot topic. The DAS system, or Dual-Axle Steering system from Mercedes is on the car for Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton at Spielberg this weekend. Christian Horner of Red Bull Racing has already indicated to protest against the system, something that Toto Wolff supports.
"It works well, it's a tremendously cool innovation," Wolff explains to Sky Sports F1. "I do expect that there will be protests against it today and that we will get clarity from the FIA. We'll see who's right". Wolff also expects that a protest will give more clarity about the future of DAS. In 2021 the system will already be banned, but this season Mercedes will still be allowed to use the system.
The system weighs a lot
"At least it gives an advantage with the tyre temperature, we know that for sure. However, it is true that without a system on the car we have a huge advantage around the weight of the car. The system weighs quite a bit and it isn't at an advantageous spot in the car either". So the final question is whether the DAS system delivers a lot over a whole round.
Wolff also indicates that it is not up to the drivers to activate the system. "The mechanics give a signal to the drivers when they can use it. The most effective will be during the warm-up lap in front of a Grand Prix or behind a safety car", concludes Wolff.