The innovative steering system introduced by Mercedes for this season will be banned from 2021. Mercedes have been cleared to use the system for 2020 and technical director James Allison hopes it will "bring an advantage during the season".
But the rules are changing for 2021 in such a manner that the system would not be legal under the new regulations.
Michael Masi, race director of governing body the FIA, confirmed the rule change on Friday.
The Mercedes system allows the driver to alter the 'toe angle' of the front wheels - their angle in relation to the longitudinal axis of the car - while he is driving.
F1 cars operate with a degree of 'toe-out' - which effectively means that the front part of the tyres are turned outwards by a few millimetres.
This is beneficial when the driver turns in to the corner as it gives them more grip and stability but causes a degree of 'scrub' on the straights, where the tyre is dragged across the track at an angle, which causes its temperature to rise.
In the Mercedes system - dubbed 'dual-axis steering' - the driver can pull on the steering wheel to straighten the front wheels as he comes on to a straight and then push back on it to revert to the 'toe-out' position as he enters a corner.
This is allowed under the 2020 rules because the relevant clause says only: "The front wheels are adjusted solely by the steering and under the full control of the driver."
But the 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."
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