Another crazy F1 ban by Peter Windsor

Steve Nichols was Chief Designer at McLaren in 1997 when he initiated probably the most effective - and cheapest - -performance improvement in F1 history - an additional brake cylinder/brake pedal that instantly neutralised understeer when applied to one of the rear wheels. Was it legal?

With a ban on four-wheel-steering in place since 1994, the only way it COULD be legal would be if the system did not allow the rear axle to "steer" via a rack of its own; and, as the FIA's Technical Director, Charlie Whiting, pointed out at the time, Steve's extra brake pedal patently did NOT do that. Indeed, the McLaren "torque vector" system (as it is now known) - if still in use today - would be massively helpful to Pirelli in terms of extending tyre life and wear. Ironically, though, it was Ferrari who persuaded the FIA that McLaren's device was similar to that of a tank; the FIA eventually banned the extra brake pedal on that ("tank-steer") basis in early 1998.

However - as Steve recalls - Ferrari quickly took an about-turn and re-presented a torque vector system of their own to the FIA on...April 1, 1998. Unsurprisingly, Steve thought it appropriate that they chose April Fools' Day on which to do so...

About the editor

Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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