2014 Italian Grand Prix team radio transcript

2014 Italian Grand Prix

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Moves are afoot to weed out certain kinds of team radio messages which some fans find unappealing – specifically, those which include drivers being told how to tackle different parts of the track.

But the Italian Grand Prix provided further evidence that FOM has already begun reducing the number of team radio messages being broadcast. This appears to have started after the summer break.

The number of messages broadcast during the Belgian Grand Prix was down by around a half compared to last year. And while there were 219 radio messages in last year’s Italian Grand Prix transcript, this year there are 75 – little more than a third.

Ironically, Sunday’s race provided more proof of how team radio messages can heighten our appreciation of what drivers are doing, and therefore our appreciation of the sport.

Lewis Hamilton took the lead of the race when team mate Nico Rosberg went off the track. Moments earlier, fans had heard Hamilton being advised on the radio to back off – advice he did not heed, which turned out to be a smart move. Had we not heard that radio message, the key turning point of the race would have lost some of its intrigue.

What else might we have missed out among the hundreds of unheard messages? Communications to Ferrari’s drivers was almost entirely absent – we only heard a single remark to Kimi Raikkonen late in the race. Radio silence greeted Fernando Alonso’s first mechanical failure in 86 races.

It was only a few years ago that teams were forced to free up their radio messages so fans could hear more of it. Now the dialogue has been drastically cut back and we could be about to hear even less.

Team radio has added much to fans’ understanding and enjoyment of Formula One in recent years. While it’s not hard to understand why some don’t like hearing racing drivers being told how to drive, it would be to the detriment of F1 if, as seems to be happening, much of the other radio communications were lost. The coming races will reveal whether the recent drop in messages is a one-off blip or the shape of things to come.

If so, Formula One is wasting one of its best resources. Far from scaling back the transmissions, FOM and F1’s broadcasters should embrace the opportunity offered by internet streaming and make each driver’s radio channel available to listen to in full, uncensored and in real-time.

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2014 Italian Grand Prix team radio transcript

Lap*FromToMessage
PRPeter BonningtonLewis HamiltonJust to reiterate: The opening laps of the race, overtake is free until we tell you.
FLPeter BonningtonLewis HamiltonSo if we can learn all gears, please, all the way up to eighth. RS modes cancel.
FLUnknownSebastian VettelGearbox is good. Charge is good.
FLAyao KomatsuRomain GrosjeanTry to shift up at higher engine speed, please.
1Lewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonThis may have been said prior to the start.
My RS modes won’t [censored by FOM] work.
1Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonYeah copy that Lewis we see it. So torque mode three.
2Lewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonThe Mercedes drivers normally deactivate their RS modes after the start, but Hamilton’s display indicated his was still on after it had failed at the start.
RS mode lights are on.
2Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonOK we’re showing RS modes off, looks like everything’s in a muddle. Just leave it where it is for the minute.
3Andrew MurdochFelipe MassaDRS enabled. Use overtake if you need to.
4Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonDRS has been enabled. We’ll get the pack up to full charge, then we can make an attack.
6Andrew MurdochFelipe MassaDo not use overtake at the minute.
6Brad JoyceNico HulkenbergYou’ve got Ricciardo behind. Chassis four, P4.
7Max ChiltonGary GannonChilton retired after hitting a kerb at the Roggia chicane and landing in a gravel trap.
Yeah I’m just a bit winded.
8Nico RosbergTony RossOK I lifted a lot, I lifted off a lot.
8Tony RossNico RosbergCopy that Nico we can see that. So other car reporting rear tyres goind off so just be aware. Gap to Massa is four seconds. He is matching your lap times at the moment.
9Tony RossNico RosbergSo Nico looks like you locked front and rears together there.
10Lewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonTell me when I have enough power for strat two.
10Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonOK Lewis you may use strat two on the main straight only, exit turn eleven to turn one, strat two only for two laps.
10Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonNice work Lewis. Right, let’s get those strat modes under control.
12Guillaume RocquelinSebastian VettelStatus update if you can.
12Sebastian VettelGuillaume RocquelinThis sounds like it has been edited. Suspect Vettel actually said he would be half a second quicker without traffic.
Not that much quicker. Traffic probably half a second quicker in clean air.
13Tony RossNico RosbergTry an earlier apex in turn 11, Parabolica. Try and open the steering on exit for scrubbing.
13Nico RosbergTony RossDo not tell me the gap.
15Andrew MurdochFelipe MassaYou’re pressing the brakes when on throttle into turn five.
15Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonOK Lewis two-tenths faster last lap. Gap now 1.8. Nico carrying more speed entry apex turn 11.
18Jonathan EddolllsValtteri BottasAnother great move. You are in the window.
18Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonIt now looks like you’re picking up a tow so you’re slower in corners, faster on the straights.
19Tony RossNico RosbergDrivers use a switch to report the state of their tyres to the team without giving that potentially valuable information over the radios.
And let us know how the tyres are on the HPP switch.
19Tony RossNico RosbergCopy that. All cars are getting degradation like yourself.
21Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonSo you’re getting close to DRS.
21Lewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonHow far?
21Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonSo it’s around the two-tenths mark, just keep it up.
23Tony RossNico RosbergPush hard now, two more timed laps.
24Gianpiero LambiaseSergio PerezPerfect. So we’ve jumped Alonso and Button, Checo.Just keep on Magnussen’s tail. Really good job, mate, really good job.
24Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonGo strat mode four, it’s hammer time.
26Tony RossNico RosbergSo suggest you go back to strat three to recharge the battery. Gap to Lewis is two seconds. We will need some Hoagys for fuel to the end.
27Peter BonningtonLewis HamiltonI reckon the race is going to be at the end, the race will be at the end. So suggestion is we sit two, two-and-a-half seconds, get the benefit of the tow without losing the downforce. So we’re going to need the tyres at the end.
28Guillaume RocquelinSebastian VettelSebastian, Magnussen is within DRS range.
30Peter BonningtonLewis Hamilton24 laps to go, let’s just get into the rhythm.
30Tony RossNico RosbergSo it’s going to be important to look after these tyres to be able to attack at the end, Nico. Save a bit of fuel when we can and attack at the end.
33Gianpiero LambiaseSergio PerezTry to push up to the guys ahead if you can, Checo. Do not use the overtake button.
34Gianpiero LambiaseSergio PerezJust keep it clean, Checo. Keep it clean. Jenson wasn’t as close this time around, just keep it clean. We hope to give you the fuel performance back soon. Let’s get back to the DRS, the two guys ahead are fighting.
34Simon RennieDaniel RicciardoOK mate, excellent job, Right let’s get into them ahead.
35Tom StallardJenson ButtonJenson car behind now Ricciardo. Ricciardo stopped four laps after us.
35Simon RennieDaniel RicciardoOK mate it’s going to get pretty tasty ahead of you. There’s a lot of changing of places going. Let’s get amongst it.
37Gianpiero LambiaseSergio PerezCheco I can’t say enough what a good job you’re doing. Just keep it up. I know I’m asking the impossible, but just control the rear tyre slip and as long as we’re in this DRS train we’re OK, OK?
37Jonathan EddolllsValtteri BottasThat’s brilliant job, brilliant. So try to limit the use of the overtake now, good work.
39Gianpiero LambiaseSergio PerezOK Magnussen has a five second penalty added to his race time. So stick with his DRS and we have his position, OK?
40Sergio PerezGianpiero LambiaseYou saw what he did to me?
40Gianpiero LambiaseSergio PerezI saw it, but that was brilliant! Brilliant. Get back up to Magnussen, settle down mate.
41Jenson ButtonTom StallardHe just cut the chicane. Perez just cut the chicane.
42Gianpiero LambiaseSergio PerezAnd use the overtake button if you need to to defend. Only on the start/finish straight.
44Sergio PerezGianpiero LambiaseI need more power.
44Gianpiero LambiaseSergio PerezOK Checo we just need to keep it tidy and make sure we get to the end now.
44Guillaume RocquelinSebastian VettelYou’re doing a good job with your tyres, your pace is good. Ten laps to go.
46Simon RennieDaniel RicciardoAlright then Daniel, Nine laps to go. Vettel doing 29.6s, you are eight tenths quicker than him. Let’s get him.
46Mark TempleKevin MagnussenAnd Kevin we’ve been given a five-second penalty for forcing Bottas off at turn two. We are racing Raikkonen behind so we need good pace all the way to the end to get good points.
47Marco MatassaDaniil KvyatGreat mate. Keep going. The next is Raikkonen. He is seven seconds in front. We will fight for P10.
48Antonio SpagnoloKimi RaikkonenWe expect Kvyat will be to us in two laps to the end. You should push if you can to close on Button.
48Gianpiero LambiaseSergio PerezOK Checo we want to test using the overtake button on the exit of Ascari as well. Continue with the start/finish straight.
51Esteban GutierrezCraig GardinerI think I have a flat tyre.
51Craig GardinerEsteban GutierrezWhich corner? Preload 12. Esteban is it flat or you can continue?
51Esteban GutierrezCraig GardinerI can continue but…
51Craig GardinerEsteban GutierrezInterrupting.
Understood.
53Daniil KvyatMarco MatassaI got no brakes. Is it last lap?
53Marco MatassaDaniil KvyatNo, two laps to go. Keep pushing, keep pushing mate.
53Daniil KvyatMarco MatassaI cannot manage.
PRPeter BonningtonLewis HamiltonNice work Lewis, get in there pal. Beautifully recovered, mate.
PRLewis HamiltonPeter BonningtonThanks for all the efforts, guys. Great result, great recovery. So happy for everyone.
PRAndrew MurdochFelipe MassaCut off
OK Felipe great race, great race. We need…
PRFelipe MassaAndrew MurdochThank you guys. Very good, very good result. I’m so happy, I’m so happy for this result. Especially to be here in Italy.
PRNico RosbergTony RossOK good job guys on a deserved one-two. That’s a great result for the team. I’m sorry for my side of the garage. Real shame.
PRMarco MatassaDaniil KvyatAgain, very good drive, very good race. Bravissimo, bravo.
PRDaniil KvyatMarco MatassaGrazie a tutto [Thanks to all].

Lap: Refers to lap message was broadcast on. There may be a delay between messages being said and being broadcast. PR = pre-race; FL = formation lap; VL = victory lap.
Message: Repetitive or irrelevant messages omitted. Notes in italics. Highlights in bold.

Follow F1 Fanatic Live on Twitter for team radio highlights during all live F1 sessions.

Italian Grand Prix data

Image © Pirelli/Hone

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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68 comments on “2014 Italian Grand Prix team radio transcript”

  1. Especially to be here in Italy

    Heard this live and it got me thinking. What does he actually mean? Is it because the tifosi like him? To me, it sounded more like a jab at Ferrari (and Williams are fighting them for 3rd in the WCC), but I’m probably wrong.

    1. He seemed pretty popular on the podium, and I don’t think it was a jab at Ferrari. They were pretty good to him really (except for ‘Fernando is faster than you’), given his performance (or rather lack thereof) since his crash.

    2. Because he spent a large number of years at Ferrari at it means something special to him?

    3. @gicu He’s still well liked by the Ferrari fans for various reasons.

      As they say, “once a Ferrari driver, always a Ferrari driver”?

      1. @optimaximal yeah the cheer on the podium for him was phenomenal from the Italians!

    4. I’m more concerned that they cut the radio messages to hide all the don’t overtake calls. I’m all for freedom of speech, as I don’t consider myself one person to be heavily influenced by media’s take on radio messages.

  2. Good to see drivers like Kvyat and Rosberg being able to speak Italian. Learning a new language isn’t easy and while I understand that the main language of the sport is English, I’m pretty sure at least some of the crowed at Monza weren’t able to speak it so it was nice to see Rosberg and Massa address them in their native tongue.

    1. Kvyat currently lives with his family in Rome.

    2. I noticed Daniel Ricciardo speaking Italian in the Red Bull video with postie bikes the other day. Popular language!

      Of course Daniel has Italian heritage, although I don’t think his parents really spoke it at home (don’t know that, just guessing by the pronunciation of his name as “Rik-ardo” rather than “Ri-chi-ardo”)

      1. Although I think his parents were born in Italy actually. Checked Wikipedia and it agrees, so maybe I’m wrong and he learnt it at home :P

        1. I seem to recall him
          saying he went with that pronunciation because it was easier for people to say when he was at school. Something like that. Makes sense, when I speak French I pronounce my name with a French accent.

      2. I worked with his family business in Perth and they all pronounce it Rik-ardo too. Funny story, i was on a flight in June 2011 from Melbourne to Perth, and when the flight landed a guy sitting in front of me turned on his phone straight away and made a call. I didn’t take any notice until I heard him say “Daniel…have you already spoken to Helmut Marko?” Needless to say I perked up then! I can’t remember the details now but it was clear from the call that he had a race seat from the next race. I remember hearing it announced the next day, and I’m still kicking myself for not going straight from the airport to the bookies to dump on my savings on it!!

        1. *all my savings

  3. While it’s not hard to understand why some don’t like hearing racing drivers being told how to drive, it would be to the detriment of F1 if, as seems to be happening, much of the other radio communications were lost.

    I agree with that. I am pretty sure that the majority of fans like the team radio and would not mind hearing more of it. F1 should finally start giving the fans what they want, instead of what it wants them to want. If I go to a supermarket to buy ice cream and the seller offers me a vacuum cleaner, I won’t be over the moon about the service. But that’s what F1 is doing by listening to calls for more access to the sport and giving us double points.

  4. I really don’t see how they can police the radio to exclude ‘driving advice’. Teams will just use code and indirect references; it would be a nightmare for inconsistent rulings.

    Though I suppose it might offer an opportunity for a driver from Wales or China :)

    Anyway it seems to me it doesn’t make such a difference as one might think. It didn’t help Rosberg, for example, and doesn’t help Vettel, Raikkonen etc etc.

    1. Teams will just use code and indirect references; it would be a nightmare for inconsistent rulings.

      I agree. It will be the team orders ban all over again. The only way I can see it working is if they restrict the number of radio coms (or amount of time) the team can make to the driver.

      Even then, I don’t like it. They are a team. If the guys in the garage think that a slight tweak to how the driver takes a corner could help, why not tell him? It is a team sport, with many people working to get the best result. The driver is only a small part of the team, even during the race, whether “people” like it or not.

      And let’s not forget that this has probably been happening for a long time, it’s just that FOM have only recently started giving us access to so much of the team radio. You can’t have it both ways: On the one hand, calling for more visibility of what the teams do, and on the other whining that they are doing things you don’t like.

      Personally, I would say little bits of advice don’t constitute breaking the “alone and unaided” rule. If the team were continuously on the radio telling the driver his braking points etc, then that would be, but a few bits of advice from the team are non-issues.

  5. I like the over-enthusiastic reply of Pérez’s engineer after the Mexican furiously asked “Did you saw what he did to me?” :)

    Looks like even the engineer was over-awed by that magic piece of defending.

    1. I am not sure whether the brilliant comment was directed at Button’s driving or the way Perez managed to get the place back. Either way, it wasn’t the right message.

      Should stay neutral to focus on the task in hand.

      1. Of course, what was he thinking!, chering up his driver, what a jack!

  6. Maybe you all shouldnt complain so much, this is just a reactioj to the fans reaction. Stop complaining. Before the FOM and FIA come up with some more genius ideas like sprinklers stading restarts or double points finales.

  7. L18
    Peter Bonnington to Lewis Hamilton:
    “It now looks like you’re picking up a tow so you’re slower in corners, faster on the straights.”

    When I heard this I thought it must’ve been code for something because it seemed a little too obvious, or even just useless info.

    1. If you read Keith’s explanation about FOM’s reduced radio broadcast You’d realise we dont get all the conversations.
      Sometimes Engineers appear to answer questions they were not asked.

    2. I was surprised how far back he could get a tow (about 1.8 sec) – that was quite an enlightening message for TV viewers. He even explained the effect of the tow to us as if we’re children – I guess it’s the only way race engineers can speak.

  8. ‘Moves are afoot to weed out certain kinds of team radio messages which some fans find unappealing – specifically, those which include drivers being told how to tackle different parts of the track.’
    @keithcollantine 1. so what do you think is the reason behind this?
    2. This reduction you linked to in the round up doesn’t impact what the team can actually say to their driver does it? I’m confused as to whether the mooted reduction is between FOM and audience, or pitwall and driver…

    1. @sato113 1. Because those running the sport have decided they don’t like it. Perhaps some influential commentators within the paddock have complained about it.
      2. Pit wall and driver.

      1. @keithcollantine hmmm i think your first two paragraphs are saying different things. The first implies that teams are going to be restricted in what they say to their driver (how can that be enforced??)
        And the secomd paragraph implies that its FOM stopping certain messages being played on the world feed.

  9. Reducing team radio is an absolute pile of crap. Leave it alone FIA FOM!

  10. Either give the viewers full access to team radio, (which could be interesting), or ban radios altogether and let cars and pits communicate via pit boards. The latter suggestion could spice things up considerately. Drivers should not be getting lessons on how to drive from their engineers. Hello kitty wants to see drivers drive by the seat of their pants…

    1. Wouldn’t they be facing the wrong way then?

    2. I agree totally kitty, by the seat of their pants. Enough of the hand-holding from team radios, let the driver’s drive!

  11. Nascar are way ahead of the game when it comes to internet streaming their race content (multiple audio\video feeds from in-car and trackside, live timing, statistical information on all 43 cars in Cup and selected Nationwide\Truck races). You even scan for active radio channels including race control. For $80-100 a season (36+ races) that’s a bargain.

  12. I will say this up front: I thought it was annoying that Nico was being told how to tackle a particular turn, or engineers telling the drivers what to do in a particular part of any given race.
    BUT
    I believe that I am NOT alone in considering that the compilation of the radio transcripts has been (Hamiltonesque speaking) “massive”. It provides an unprecedented insight into the skillset a driver must have to drive one of those monsters and how teams organize themselves around a given strategy.
    I remember the race when a Williams mechanic showed the sign “JONE REUT”, ordering Carlos Reutemann to leave the first place to Alan Jones, and how Carlos ignore it and won the race. Those were days without radio pit-pilots, and now it’s possible to follow that *almost* in real time.
    Leave it alone, FIA, please.

    1. I don’t mind Rosberg getting told to how to attack corners better. I think Rosberg’s talent is being able to mimic other driving styles when he is told what to do. I don’t begrudge him for this, as it must still be ridiculously hard – I don’t think Button is anywhere near as good at this.

      Lewis tends to get told where he’s loosing time, and then work out himself how to make up time. A few races ago, he spoke of how he found a quicker way to take corners whilst he was coasting to save fuel. I think that is why he is able to get the best out of every car, because he works out how during the race. Marry that with his race craft and it explains why he is one of the top two drivers on the grid though.

      As for the strat modes, battery systems and overtake buttons. I do not think the FIA should ban these messages at all. As you said..

      It provides an unprecedented insight into the skillset a driver must have to drive one of those monsters and how teams organize themselves around a given strategy.

      It should certainly stay.

    2. I believe that I am NOT alone in considering that the compilation of the radio transcripts has been (Hamiltonesque speaking) “massive”.

      Thanks, glad you like them!

    3. Funny its always generalised (that its Nico being told where to gain time by his engineers. Notice above that YET AGAIN its actually Lewis’ engineer telling him where Nico is faster? Either they share information or they don’t, but its definitely not the one way street that Lewis fans like to make it out to be.

      Two words…….. Cool Story.

  13. Nico Rosberg to Tony Ross: “Do not tell me the gap.”

    If Nico is really referring here to his gap to Lewis at that moment, we can guess that this is clue of how he was feeling under a huge pressure from Lewis.

    So, thats a good way to dismiss all the conspiracy theories about his mistake afterwards.

    1. May be he was referring to the gap to another car and not to Hamilton’s :p
      Let the conspiracy continue…

    2. Maybe gap was a code word for lap. He was making sure his engineer didn’t blabber out the lap at which he was supposed to lock-up and give the lead to Lewis. His engineer must have thought Nico forgot the lap at which he was supposed to give the lead to Lewis when he first locked-up on Lap 9. :D :D

      Yes, let the conspiracy continue…. Atleast until the Singapore GP gets here! :P :P

    3. He was actually speaking of the gap to Massa. And I believe shortly thereafter the muffed the chicane for the first time. And also note the comment from the team that he was not actually gapping Massa at this point. He was under a lot of pressure at this point. So you can imagine when he heard the news that Lewis passed Massa he probably was not in a good place mentally.

  14. @Keith: “If so, Formula One is wasting one of its best resources. Far from scaling back the transmissions, FOM and F1′s broadcasters should embrace the opportunity offered by internet streaming and make each driver’s radio channel available to listen to in full, uncensored and in real-time.” You are so riiiight!
    I used the F1 App standing trackside on the straight after Eau Rouge and it was very very good to be able to know exactly what happened at all times, except the radio transmits, which are not very well covered with the F1 App. With that in the ear, from selected drivers, the F1 experience would’ve been almost perfect.
    And to those, who don’t like to hear it: Don’t listen to it – filter it out.

    1. +1
      Agree Agree Agree. Can some F1 people read this please! MORE RADIO. LIVE STREAMS!

  15. “We will need some Hoagys for fuel to the end.” What does that mean? Hoagys isn’t in Mirriam Websters.

    1. I believe that is a slang term. Could be referencing leakage from the context it’s in.

    2. There’s a Mercedes engineer called Hoagy (Nidd). He’s currently a trackside KERS engineer, previously did fuel stuff. Not entirely sure why they use his name but he’s the source of it.

      https://www.linkedin.com/in/hoagynidd

    3. Martin Brundle said they are fuel saving laps named after a Mercedes engineer.

  16. The moment the words “can I race him?” was first said on team radio was the moment most people would know it had gone way to far. Team sport? Think not, You Keith may enjoy the chess game f1 has turned into and miss some of the strategy calls but in reality it should be about racing, man, make that One man and machine against the other men and their machines.

    That the f1 elite gets excited about a 2.5 a pit stop getting negated by a competitor doing One fast lap isn’t something f1 can live of.

    As someone famous (who shal not be named since he is in bad standing) said recently; doesn’t make sense for teams to spend 300-400 million € per year only to tell their drivers to back of and save fuel on race days, doesn’t compute.

    “Fuel saving has always been part of it…” … If the general viewers wanted a Eco/strategy/computerized games… Why are the numbers plummeting?

    Get rid of radio and let the racers make the calls, nobody really cares who LH’s race engineer is.

    1. Keith may enjoy the chess game F1 has turned into

      Actually I always hated that Max Mosley quote about refuelling-era F1 being ‘like a game of chess’!

      But I stand by my point in the article – without team radio we just saw Rosberg go off and Hamilton get ahead. With it we know Hamilton had been advised to back off but he ignored that suggestion and went after Rosberg on his own initiative. To me that makes the racing more interesting and gives us a brilliant insight into Hamilton’s racing brain. What’s not to like about that?

      1. Hamilton being told to back of in the first place, that the team has the ability to control the race down to the milliliter and advising Hamilton based on what their race computer calculates as best delta.

        Give the drivers a gauge and let them compute it on their own, its (or should be) part of their job, radio for emergency use only.

        1. that the team has the ability to control the race down to the millilitre

          If that were true then Hamilton would have done what they advised. But they don’t – and we know that because of the team radio. To me it seems that what you’re suggesting just removes a point of interest. Without the radio, the manner in which Hamilton got ahead of Rosberg would have been no different, but it would have seemed less remarkable to us.

          1. Just to be clear, IF there is to be team radio at all, not only should they be broadcast…. ALL of it should be broadcast with no exception.

            Might be a cliche, but we the public pays for this sport one way or another, we need to know what’s going on also in the shade.

            Better yet, let the drivers roll the dices them selves.

    2. Team sport? Think not, You Keith may enjoy the chess game f1 has turned into and miss some of the strategy calls but in reality it should be about racing, man, make that One man and machine against the other men and their machines.

      OK, so should the drivers build their own cars? Have to get out and change their own wheels? Or do you suggest a spec series?

      While the teams build their own cars, F1 will always be a team sport, and should always be a team sport. The driver is only a tiny part of the team, and his team mates will always try to help him to the best of their ability. And while the cars become more complex and technologically advanced, the drivers will need more assistance from the team to keep it under control.

      If you want “racing, man, make that One man and machine against the other men and their machines” then F1 is not the sport for you. Try going to some of the smaller racing events near you. I know last time I went to Harewood Hillclimb, many of the competitors were one-man teams, doing it all themselves, from preparing the car to fixing it when it broke to driving. When you get to F1, that is no longer possible. We already have too much focus on the driver, in my opinion.

      The only thing I would possibly change is having multiple cars per team. With 2 cars in a team, there will always be suspicions of teams favouring one driver. If a team had one car, one driver, then that entire team is focussed on getting that one car and driver home with as many points as possible.

      1. Right, so I don’t “understand” f1 but yo do so I must go watch the kids race karts, talk about elitism.

        Unfortunately for both of us the numbers are talking…. loudly, F1 has become to complex and to detached from actual racing, instead I have to explain delta driving to the casual fans that I know.

        Bottom line is that when a racer needs to ask permission from the pitwall to race an opponent and when LH’s race engineer has a greater impact on the race than LH himself it’s gone to far, get rid of it.

        No googling, what’s the name of LH’s race engineer?

        1. I’m not saying you don’t understand F1, but I am saying that F1 is a team sport, whether you like it or not. I am also not telling you to go watch “kids race karts”, I am telling you that there are other series where it is still man-machine against man-machine.

          The engineers, from all teams, have had a greater impact on the race than the drivers for a long time in F1. If the engineers don’t do their job well, the driver doesn’t have a chance. Take a look at Alonso, for instance. He is one of the best drivers on the grid. Yet because his team has not done a brilliant job*, he has had only 2 podiums this year. You can look at almost any season throughout history and see the same.

          Also, F1 has never been about a driver going flat out for the whole race. There has always been an element of conserving the car (whether for fuel, tyres, engine etc.) for the important times. The teams have always had to work together to ensure they got the best out of the car. The difference today is that we hear about it. We have access to team radio, to on screen stats, live timing streams, fuel data, and all manner of extra information which we didn’t in the past.

          If you really want F1 to be “racing, man, make that One man and machine against the other men and their machines”, it needs to become a spec series with no team involved at all. The driver gets a chassis, and tells a shared pool of mechanics what he wants changing in terms of set up. That would no longer be F1, in my mind.

          *In F1 terms: The car is still great, but relative to others it is not.

  17. I think, the ban of some radio transcript will not work. The teams will use codenames. It’s a good idea, but doesn’t work.

  18. I’d love, just for a one-off if there’s ever a dead rubber at the end of a season, car-to-car radio for the drivers, only to the driver direct in front and directly behind.

  19. “Checo I can’t say enough what a good job you’re doing. Just keep it up. I know I’m asking the impossible, but just control the rear tyre slip and as long as we’re in this DRS train we’re OK, OK?”…

    The impossible!, and he managed to defend other 16 laps with the force india, what a drive!

  20. Yes, this is gonna work. Just like banning team orders, which is something much more important to the sport, worked very well throughout the years.

  21. Were Bonnington and Hamilton threw a dummy on Nico’s side and just start to bluff about the strategy? If so than we could see a very interesting next races not just on track racing but also poker style radio communication. Maybe I’m just imagining and Lewis was simply following his guts instead of advices from Bonno.

    1. I was wondering about this, too. Was it a bluff? Was it just HAM following his gut? Was it a multi-21 type communication, and ROS turned things down expecting HAM to drop back?

      I expect it was just HAM doing what HAM does best: racing.

      1. @drmouse Who knows, right? I just know that we are witnessing a great season in F1 for a long time. We have a great fight for WDC not to mention the fights for lower positions and WCC as well. If we add poker games in the mix than we have an epic season.

  22. I’m seriously worried about Rosberg cranking under pressure – that ‘do not tell me the gap’ line from lap 13 is exactly the thing which points to all the wrong directions.

    I shows – probably – that Rosberg just didn’t want to know (if) he was slower, he must have felt it as extra pressure. He feared what would happen if he got to know. He feared whether he’ll be able to deliver knowing it. Quite simply: he feared.

    I experienced similar things in the past, I’m sure a lot of us did, mine was just on a larger scale, like choking and not knowing anything quite simply.

    In the case of the pinnacle of something, like F1, we are talking about probably just moments like this, little things only. Things which only worth 0.2s. But that 0.2s per lap is what’s going to cost Rosberg the championship if he is not able to face his demons.

    1. *points in

    2. *It shows

    3. It shows fear but it also shows a lack of trust in his engineer. The announcement of the falling gap sounds like an indictment to him. Remember, in Spa, the team told him in the last stint that he would catch Ricciardo and were prodding him to do so. He could not do it. I get the sense that he is sensitive about pace now, and that this is a third-rail with the engineer.

  23. Here’s some information which sheds light on how FOM’s choice of what radio messages to play during a race can affect our view of what happened. After Hamilton was given the advice to look after his tyres, which we heard on lap 27, on lap 28 he was told the following according to Mercedes:

    “Obviously Lewis if you think you’ve got an opportunity you take it.”

    That was just before Rosberg went off and lost the lead.

    Also there were a couple of extra radio messages in the FOM video highlights. These included Kvyat exclaiming “******* brakes” (censored by FOM) twice, and Smedley telling Massa “first podium of the season and first of many”.

    1. @keithcollantine I’m sure Kvyat’s language wasn’t the only thing that was a bit foul after his excursion at turn 1.
      Radio message to Lewis is just bizarre, it raises more questions as to Merc’s motives, like why would they need to encourage Lewis to make an overtake on his teammate? What other messages did they potentially tell Nico? However, we’ll never know…

      1. @dragoll
        What are you talking about?

        A driver’s race engineer naturally wants his driver to win. There’s nothing odd or weird whatsoever about “Obviously Lewis if you think you’ve got an opportunity you take it”. It’s an encouragement. Why would a RE not encourage his driver?

      2. I agree with Andrew, what are you talking about? This is his race engineer considering their strategy options. Hamilton apparently has catch-and-pass worthy pace, and it was always gonna be the driver’s call as to when to use it

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