PhillipM wrote: ↑23 Mar 2022, 13:27
Does anyone have a decent photo of the 'bent' steering arm?
Because I haven't seen one yet, and I don't believe it can be that simple. If the arm is metal under carbon and bent *somehow* in the really low forces at a pitstop, it would just toe the tyre in a bit, that wouldn't explain the almost locking steering Max was describing even with power steering at all. If it's carbon it wouldn't bend it'd just flex and spring back.
The only way I can see that being plausible is if the outer joint went past it's designed misalignment angle, bound up and deformed. But I don't really see that either, one the misalignment angles in F1 are tiny anyway, especially with no steering lock on to give a compound angle - and two that would be a really, really rookie mistake on suspension design for a team of F1/RB calibre.
So far we only have a throwaway comment made at that time of "
maybe we've bent a steering arm", I can't find any pictures?
As chrisc90 pointed out there can be forces encountered static that won't be seen while the wheels are turning (steering input force increases f.e.), regardless of downforce and curb impacts. The stiction of the heated tire (blankets) combined with 1g vertical acceleration while the wheels are toed in from droop. The lower profile tires may not have as much deflection as last season in such a scenario, transferring more force to the steering arms.
