You can now drive at home with Lewis Hamilton’s F1 steering wheel

Some sim racing manufacturers have branding deals with real-world car manufacturers, others have created something that is one-to-one identical. But none have taken our breath away quite like this Mercedes Formula 1 replica steering wheel.

The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team Sim Racing Steering Wheel (2024) has been created by equipment manufacturer Sim-Lab in collaboration with the Brackley-based F1 outfit.

For use on driving simulation rigs at home, the official steering wheel debuted with the team’s virtual driving ace Jarno Opmeer at the helm. 

With the first orders shipping at the end of August, each will be hand-assembled. Designed using CAD data from the race team, upon the carbon fibre shell sits a 4.3-inch display with a customisable readout, nine rotary switches (six for your thumbs, three on the front) and 14 buttons (with two more around the back).

Around the back is a mono gear shift paddle, again aping the real-world devices, and a single-throw clutch. There is a button where the team’s ‘magic’ brake balance switch is located, although minus the updated cover preventing a Baku 2021 moment.

The 280mm diameter steering wheel will work with all sim racing wheelbases that support a USB connection (most popular PC devices) with a 70mm bolt pattern.

Manufacturer Sim-Lab is primarily known for its range of cockpits and seats, with its first set of pedals, the XP1, launching last year. It does, however, already produce steering wheels (and displays) under its Grid Engineering brand, one of which apes the design seen in the Porsche 911 RSR.

The Mercedes-AMG device is priced at a not insignificant £2,294/$2,499/€2,699.