No, modern Olympic-style bobsleds do not have a steering wheel. Instead, the driver steers using a very simple rope-and-ring system connected to the front runners.

How a bobsled is steered

Inside a competition bobsled, the cockpit is extremely bare. The nose of the sled holds the steering mechanism, which consists of two vertical ropes or cables with handles called “D‑rings.” When the driver wants to turn, they pull the left D‑ring to turn left and the right D‑ring to turn right, moving the front runners via a pulley system. Because speeds can exceed 130 km/h, only very small steering inputs are used; big movements can cause the sled to crash.

Why there’s no steering wheel

A full steering wheel would add weight, complexity, and extra movement in a very tight space. The rope-and-ring system is lighter, fits inside the narrow nose, and allows very precise control of the runners with minimal motion from the pilot’s upper body, which helps keep the sled stable and aerodynamic.

A quirky historical exception

There have been recreational and early-20th‑century “bobsled-style” sleds that did use a steering wheel, mainly for public sledding and early racing on snow rather than modern ice tracks. Those designs steered flexible metal runners with a wheel, but they’re more like vintage sleds inspired by bobsleds than the true Olympic bobsleighs you see today.

Mini FAQ

  • “So what does the driver actually hold?”
    The driver grips the two D‑ring handles connected to steering ropes in the nose of the sled.
  • “What do the others in the sled do?”
    In a 4‑man sled, the middle athletes are mainly powerful pushers who then tuck in for aerodynamics, while the brakeman at the back pulls a brake lever after the finish line.

TL;DR: There is no steering wheel in a modern bobsled; the pilot steers with two D‑ring handles attached to ropes that turn the front runners. Think “hidden rope controls,” not a car-style wheel.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.