Formula 1 Radio Ban – Does This Help The Sport?
Since the Formula 1 European Grand Prix, there’s been a growing number of people criticising the ‘formula 1 radio ban’.
Initially introduced to add more unpredictability to the sport and to also allow the drivers to ‘take control’ of their races however – has it gone too far?
We saw a number of drivers complaining about the situation – questioning whether or not they’re in the right mode or on the right setting for their race. It seems that drivers are now paying more focus on the steering wheel, adjusting the settings rather than doing what they should be – racing!
There’s also been a lot of people questioning how difficult finding the right switch is – there’s several switches on the steering wheel and about 1000 different mode combinations so it’s not as easy as you might think – especially when you don’t get the feedback you need.
So, do you think the radio ban is helping the sport?
Should teams be allowed to tell their drivers about the settings, modes and switches allowing drivers to get on with racing or do you think that things should stay as they are?
The Formula 1 Girl 🙂
xxx
 Pit Wall McLaren Honda
The problem is not the ban. It is the intense complexity of the present cars. Technology has crept too far into the character of the sport. But the ban is called out now because it gave Lewis Hamilton issues with the car and other drivers. We fans complained that the pit wall managers were not allowing the drivers to drive the car and now we want it gone. Again, it is not the ban, it is the various energy reserve/engine mode settings available to the drivers. Too many things to manage while racing at 190mph.
Author
This is a great point but I do think that there needs to be a balance about what can actually be said – the team should be able to talk to their drivers and tell them about the technical issues but leave the racing down to the drivers. At the moment, like you say, they’re trying to manage things whilst racing and we’re not seeing true potential or true racing…..
No one complained about Nico having to manage his settings while on the first lap of the Spanish Grand Prix. We know how that ended. Other than the complexity, this fan is now seeing the giant pro-Lewis Hamilton bias in the media, particularly UK media. Since I live in the USA, it’s not that obvious but it’s there, too. The ban came about because it was this team, Mercedes-Benz/AMG, were constantly coaching their drivers through every aspect of the race. It is time for this sport to step away from the technology edge and reduce it back to straightforward racing.
Author
I agree with you – reduce all the technology that’s taken over the sport and get it back to racing, it’s what we want and it’s what Formula 1 is all about! I didn’t agree with the ban to begin with – I think there needs to be a balance between what can and cannot be said. Let them tell drivers about technical issues but overall let them deal with racing! How is F1 seen in the USA? Do you follow all the races and which is your favourite track 🙂