The aperture wheel is encircling around the AF joystick on the R7. That's what that is, full stop.
It's a very interesting design choice that I never saw coming, but in the case of a smaller body like this, I could see it actually being successful as it means you can control both aperture and AF point without moving your thumb, which may actually be a pretty solid option for someone photographing fast action and wildlife.
If it turns out to be horrible, well, just disable it and use the secondary top dial. I totally get the design choice on a smaller body, though. Some of those smaller cameras with the aperture wheels so far down the camera make you loosen your entire grip just to reach it.