JUNE 17, 2020

Bottas suggests Mercedes will use DAS in Austria

Valtteri Bottas thinks he and Lewis Hamilton will be using the controversial 'DAS' steering system once the 2020 season gets up and racing next month.

Valtteri Bottas, Austrian GP 2019
© RV Press

Valtteri Bottas thinks he and Lewis Hamilton will be using the controversial 'DAS' steering system once the 2020 season gets up and racing next month.

Mercedes' highly innovative system, which alters the 'toe' of the front wheels when the drivers pull or push on the steering wheel, attracted queries about its legality in winter testing.

The debate dwindled once the corona crisis took hold, but Bottas indicates that Mercedes still intends to race DAS in Austria next month.

"It's an impressive piece of kit," said the Finn. "It's super safe to drive it and we are 100 percent comfortable with it.

"There's been a lot of debate about if it's legal or not, but we think it is. We still haven't used it in racing circumstances obviously, and we look forward to discovering how it can help us," added Bottas.

The 30-year-old said he is in good shape for the 2020 re-start on July 5, but admitted it will be an "interesting" season with the social distancing measures.

"There's a bit of an unknown after the first eight races as to how the calendar is going to be, week by week, month by month, but we will see," said Bottas.

(GMM)