“Probably the operation of the buttons is complicated if the drivers have to press all of them at once,” noted Mercedes GP boss Ross Brawn, emphasizing the distractions the drivers might be subject to during the season to come.
However, some teams have worked through the winter to find the best way possible to allow their drivers to activate/deactivate the new wing without affecting their concentration in the race. And while McLaren has reportedly worked out a paddle shifting system behind their steering wheel, Mercedes seems to have focused on the footwell.
According to a report from Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, the Mercedes W02s of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg will feature an additional foot pedal to activate the adjustable rear wing, and will be located to the left of the brake pedal.
This way, when the driver needs to break, he will avoid doing so with the wing still activated (this is not permitted by the FIA), as he'll have to depress the wing pedal in order to press the braking one. On the other hand, when on the power, the driver will only have to keep his foot on the wing pedal, which will be much more comfortable during the crucial qualifying sessions.
Ferrari's Felipe Massa recently admitted that his team has also found a comfortable solution to the “workload issue”, while his teammate Fernando Alonso insisted the additional devices will not be a problem for him this season.
So far, only Red Bull duo Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber have issued outspoken complaints about the drivers' increased workload this season, but former STR owner and GP driver Gerhard Berger has a pretty good idea of where it all comes from.
“Sebastian is a cunning lad. He complains probably because in this area Red Bull has a disadvantage,” he said.
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