Mercedes-AMG Driver Nico Rosberg’s qualifying lay was nearly a second faster than the next-fastest qualifier Sergio Perez.
You’d think that turning such a quick, clean lap would require absolute concentration on the ABCs—acceleration, braking, and cornering. But this annotated cockpit video shows a different scene: Rosberg constantly fiddling with the myriad adjustment dials and buttons on his steering wheel.
It’s mind-boggling. This video, uploaded to Vimeo by user “Mark4211,” highlights every tiny adjustment Rosberg makes as he hurtles around Baku City Circuit. He’s opening and closing the drag-reduction flap (DRS), which diverts air around the rear wing to increase straight-line speed. He’s tweaking the Brake Migration (BMIG) setup, adjusting how the car’s brake-by-wire system adjusts front-rear braking balance on the fly. He’s making microscopic adjustments to brake balance (BBal), portioning out left-right braking strength perfectly for every turn.
Oh, and he’s upshifting and downshifting, steering and braking, nailing apexes and braking zones, and generally making it all look easy.
Keeping track of this many car adjustments, at that speed, requires superhuman concentration and brain power. Makes you realize how stupid we look when we drift out of our lanes while playing with our radios.
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