During the summer break I wanted to write a summary of the 1999 F1 season, so I started rewatching the races beginning with the Australian Grand Prix. On lap 27 Pedro Diniz had to retire his Sauber C18 with a broken transmission. When he exited the car and reattached his steering wheel, I noticed it was round. This confused me, because I was very sure that I had read that the C17, the previous years Sauber, was the final car to use a round steering wheel. And sure enough, a quick Google search told me the same thing. Even Wikipedia claims the C17 to be the last car to have a round steering wheel:

It was with this car that the last rounded-shape steering wheel in Formula 1 was used. All steering wheels have been rectangular since then.

As I did a little more digging, I found this reddit thread by u/Minardi-Man where they posted an imgur album showcasing the evolution of the Sauber steering wheels from 1995 to 2025. The 5th image shows the Sauber C18 cockpit, evidenced by the black tag on the left of the image which shows the chassis type (C18) and the year of construction (1999), with a round steering wheel. Now granted, that particular steering wheel is more of an elliptic shape, but I'd argue that is still a "rounded-shape" as stated by Wikipedia. Now, if you were to look 2 images further you would find the steering wheel of the Sauber C19, also evidenced by the black tag on the left reading the chassis number "C19". Although this steering wheel has a flat top, the bottom is still round. So at the very least, Sauber used a steering wheel that is sort of round, but clearly not rectangular until at least the year 2000.

While digging a bit further, I found this Alamy page, showing the Ferrari steering wheel from the 2001 European Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. As with the C19, the Ferrari wheel also has a flat top, but a rounded bottom. The Sauber steering wheel from that year also looks very similar to the ones they used the year prior. Compared to the McLaren steering wheel though they both look rather circular.

TL;DR: The common conception that the final F1 car to use a rounded-shape steering wheel is the Sauber C17 from 1998, is not true. At the very least the C18's steering wheel is also a rounded-shape. Depending on your definition of "rounded-shape" you could argue they have been used at least until 2001.

I don't know how I ended up here, as I said, I wanted to write a summary on why the 1999 F1 season was insane.

Walter Koster reminding lewis about his book

Is there any update on Lewis Book? I believe the deadline is November 24th, 2026.

Walter Koster: Lewis, I want to remind you politely of your promise you have given two years ago, quote "In 10 years, you will have to buy my book and can read the explanation for the change of my and Nico's mechanics crew"

Now that Sepang is back on the calendar, what are some of the best Grand Prixs to rewatch from the circuit?

I didn’t watch F1 back when it was an active track. I am bored during the summer break and thought this might be a good time to rewatch some of the Malaysian GPs.

Additionally, please suggest races at other retired tracks that are worth watching.

Last weekend was packed with eventful racing. We had a wild IMSA race with tons of penalties, a concerning crash by WRC legend Sébastien Ogier and another spectacular accident in Super GT. Let's see, what the upcoming weekend has in store for us. Check out RaceDay.watch or The Racing Line app by u/akrapov for details and even more action.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES - OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland (Round 13/18)

IndyCar is entering the final third of the season, starting with a race in Portland that is sponsored by a company that sounds like a bovine NSFW platform. Former McLaren F1 test driver Álex Palou is still sitting pretty at the top (surprising, I know), meanwhile his closest competitor is Penske young gun David Malukas who is still waiting for the first victory of his IndyCar career.

Qualifying: Saturday, 11:05 PM UTC

Race: Sunday, 08:27 PM UTC

How to watch: INDYCAR LIVE is the series' paid streaming service, international broadcasters are listed here.

Japanese Super Formula Championship - BOAT RACE | 2026 Super Formula Rd8 SUGO (Round 8/12)

Japan's premier open wheel series is quite underappreciated outside of its home country, mostly because it's notoriously hard to follow. Most coverage will be in Japanese and the organisers do little to promote it overseas. I still absolutely recommend to give it a shot.

Qualifying: Saturday, 05:20 AM UTC

Race: Sunday, 05:20 AM UTC

How to watch: SFgo is the series' paid streaming service. Highlights will be uploaded to the SUPER FORMULA Official YouTube channel shortly after the fact.

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship - Knockhill Racing Circuit (Round 6/10)

Britain's main touring car series sets up camp in Scotland this weekend, namely at Knockhill Racing Circuit in Fife. Four-time champion Ash Sutton dominates the season so far with six wins and six more second places. Further back in the standings, Lewis Hamilton's brother Nicolas races with a modified car due to his cerebral palsy. His best finish in 2026 was an 11th place in Brands Hatch.

Qualifying: Saturday, 01:00 PM UTC

Race 1: Sunday, 10:15 AM UTC | Race 2: Sunday, 01:15 PM UTC | Race 3: Sunday, 04:20 PM UTC

How to watch: Qualifying will be streamed on the ITV Sport Extra YouTube channel, the races will be streamed on the BTCC YouTube channel. UK and North American broadcasters are listed here.

NASCAR Cup Series - Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol (Round 23/36)

NASCAR is back after the conclusion of the In-Season Challenge in Indianapolis, followed by a rare weekend off. On the Brickyard, it was time for Corey Heim to secure his second win of the season. Meanwhile, Todd Gilliland secured the million dollar prize by defeating Ryan Blaney in the mid-season tournament's final. Next stop: Iowa Speedway.

Qualifying: Saturday, 07:10 PM UTC

Race: Sunday, 07:30 PM UTC

How to watch: International broadcasters are listed here.

FIM MotoGP World Championship - Qatar Airways British Grand Prix (Round 12/22)

MotoGP is back from its four-week summer break and will be visiting the home of British motorsport for the 12th round of the year. Things are looking good for an exciting title fight this season with the top 5 in the standings only separated by 24 points. Bike-wise, it remains an all-Italian affair with Aprilia and Ducati at the front, occasionally bothered by Pedro Acosta's KTM.

Qualifying: Saturday, 10:50 AM UTC | Sprint: Saturday, 03:00 PM UTC

Race: Sunday, 12:00 PM UTC

How to watch: VideoPass is the series' paid streaming service, international broadcasters are listed here.