Haas Formula 1 rookie and Ferrari academy graduate Oliver Bearman spotted several steering wheel changes on Lewis Hamilton’s car that caught his “attention”.
Bearman knows the Ferrari camp well with the Scuderia supporting the 19-year-old through junior formula, as well as handing him his Grand Prix debut at Jeddah last year in place of Carlos Sainz.
As a Ferrari test and reserve driver, Bearman has conducted several simulator and TPC tests with the Italian squad and now races at power unit customer team Haas.
Meanwhile, Hamilton has undergone the most-documented F1 move in recent history to Ferrari.
Rolling out of the garage for the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, Bearman spotted some new quirks on Hamilton’s Ferrari steering wheel.
“I’ve seen a few interesting things,” Bearman revealed to select media including Motorsport Week.
“First of all, Lewis in the Ferrari, that was really cool. And seeing how much he’s changed on the steering wheel, for example, is something that caught my attention.”
Explaining further, Bearman noticed that Hamilton has rearranged Ferrari’s steering wheel layout given the differences from the Mercedes device he’d run for the previous 12 seasons.
“On his Mercedes steering wheel, the DRS button on Ferrari, it’s neutral,” Bearman revealed.
“So, I think he moved a few things around just to save things.
“But when changing, even me, when I went to Haas, just moving things around compared to what you’re used to is important.
“I can imagine after [more than] 10 years in the same car, you build up some habits.”
Bearman is ‘a nerd’ for F1 steering wheel changes
Bearman added that he’s not as plugged into Ferrari activities as he used to be, and that spying on Hamilton’s steering wheel is more a nerdy activity he indulged himself in.
“I knew he would change a few things on the steering wheel,” he said.
“It happens every year, and I was more out of interest watching what changes he’s made.
“Just like myself, I’ve done some changes on the steering wheel at Haas.
“Yeah, it’s just an interesting thing, and I’m a bit of a nerd on that side of things.”
Bearman still getting accustomed to Haas steering wheel setup
With just three GP starts to his name, one with Ferrari and two with Haas, Bearman is still very much a rookie.
That’s why testing can prove to be so pivotal, as the art of getting accustomed to an uber-complicated F1 steering wheel is no mean feat.
“My main laps in F1 have been on the simulator with Ferrari, so I’m used to that steering wheel,” he said.
“There are a few differences with the Haas steering wheel, and it’s not quite second nature yet.
“I still have to look down when I press buttons. But that comes with experience and more laps, and that’s what testing is all about.”
One element that Bearman has worked on over the winter is his clutch, opting for a single paddle design.
“It’s my own special clutch that I worked hard with the guys over winter to make, and so far my starts have been good, so I’m happy with that.”
Bearman’s Haas team-mate Esteban Ocon has a dual clutch set-up, but Bearman isn’t planning on adopting his more experienced counterpart’s solution any time soon.
“I’m okay with one clutch,” he said. “It works for me. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”
READ MORE – Fernando Alonso: Adrian Newey ‘impact’ at Aston to be greater than Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari
