r/F1Technical • u/mrbitterpants • 14d ago

Regulations How direct/specific do steering wheel settings need to be? Eg. Are macros allowed?

Can macros be created to execute a series of settings changes with a single driver input? Eg. A ‘turn 4’ macro that changes brake balance, differential and battery deployment with one button press? Or must each driver input only affect one parameter?

I’m guessing that the engine mode settings change multiple parameters within the engine at once so maybe macros are possible for other settings?

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u/cafk Renowned Engineers 14d ago

As long as it's the driver doing the changes - which they do through presets, it's allowed - if something is automated (i.e. reset) then they can get disqualified, like Renault did in 2019 at Japanese GP: https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/single-seaters/f1/renault-disqualified-japanese-gp-after-illegal-brake-system-spotted-tv/

The core rule is: "drivers must drive the car alone and unaided." So anything that isn't explicitly allowed in regulations is prohibited.

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u/xc_racer 13d ago

Was just going to post this. Racing Point thought it was an automatic brake balance adjustment; it wasn't automatically adjusting it, but rather would automatically switch it between corners. The drivers still had to manually adjust the balance for each corner.