[yco]

Originally Posted by roastbeef

2021 rules contain a clause which says: "The alignment of the front wheels must only take place through a constant function of a rotational movement of a single steering wheel."

so imagine the same system that simply zeroes out the toe when the steering wheel is perfectly straight... and then you turn it more than a set amount, the toe returns. seems like an open door to easily loophole the 2021 rule unless i'm missing something.

actually not..
cause whatever geometry you have on front suspension, it does vary on each steering angle.. actually even without steering angle things like bump steer.. bump steer is minimal even on normal cars but its still a factor.. things like variable ride height on different steering angles is a part of daily F1 suspension geometry nowadays and if i remember it right thanks to Merc again..

for your question.. we ve seen at least i did especially on qualies that Hamilton like to cool off the rears a bit and keep the blankets on fronts.. and with this in mind.. this is my point of view.. initial idea was banning the tire blankets for 2021.. recently FIA changed its mind and letting teams keep the tire blankets for another season.. last year it should be 90c the max temp that FIA permits teams to warm the tires.. this year it is 80c.. the idea was reducing it dramatically to 0 next year.. it changed again.. teams will use blankets after Pirelli insists..

for toe part.. the baseline of toe adjustment for free flow on the straights is not 0 toe back and front.. a bit toe out in front and toe in on the back.. basic chassis setup on karting actually this is and is the same for motorsports as long as you dont aim for something else.. letting the tires flow freely and with some stability on the back.. keeping the rears stable is ultimate goal in F1 thanks to impulsive torque graph.. cause when you think how fast they throw the cars into corners in F1, toe in or close to 0 in front needs an additional force/time to cross center at the initial part when you steer the front tires..

i believe.. there is no link i can paste to support second my idea.. Merc's initial thought was adding or lets say keeping the toe out probably more than you need (or keeping the excessive toe out) on the straight for scrubbing the front tires to put them some heat + additional pointy front end on slower corners since its pretty easy to put in heat in rears..
this part is more complex cause race cars setup for different corners can be adjusted from caster etc. and you dont hear that much but from ackerman as well.. extreme ackerman setups can be seen in Monaco.. its a different topic so no need to talk about it at this point.. but there are many variables to set the car right for the corners or lets say most part of corners on a track.. so the idea was giving an option to the driver to scrub more or less the front tires.. until here im sure you can find articles supporting the idea on internet..

additional part.. when you think of fighter jets, their aerodynamics are not perfect for adding agility to their flight and maneuver capabilities.. so they re setup'ed a bit unstable for sharp moves in air but keeping it under control with computers for preventing to fall basically or lose control.. so with this in mind and the huge effect of aerodynamics in F1.. W10 was a highly grippy car and seems from the test W11 is even better in this case.. so you have body that creates great downforce yet already and it gives you bigger room to upset the car or edgy car for faster response at the initial part of corners for carrying more speed in without losing control from mechanical grip setup you can play with.. i believe Merc's idea was similar.. extreme toe out, can give you edgy front end as long as you can keep it under control on the back or on all 4 wheels more likely (assuming the rest of the setup is exactly the same).. but extreme toe out can reduce your top speed + putting too much heat since you re scrubbing the tire wear not centrally.. with DAS Merc' can and will make this as an on/off thing..

for answering you question.. whatever suspension setup you have in the front, you have one or more stable connections to the tires.. and stable other joints before connecting to the wheel.. so despite how many times you steer the front tires you ll get the exact same movement.. to change this, you need additional force to change it/flex it which is already banned for many years or need a different axis that changes the system that was the loophole..

think of an arm connected to a shoulder, and weird angles that no human being can do without breaking the bones or joints.. but if you could have another option that changes the axis of the shoulder and no harm to your muscles then your shoulder's max angles or facing different angles d be possible.. its the same principle..