FIA Clamping down on radio communication relating to Driver performance

[ATL11]

Looks like FIA have had enough of the Comms between the Race Engineer and the Driver, where the Comms gives guidance in areas such as quicker ways to drive, braking details and which gears to use. FIA see it as a 'Driver Aid' and it'll be in force imediately for Singapore. About Time.

http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/1...ion-relating-to-the-performance-of-the-driver

Wonder if it's anything to do with our CTA article:

http://cliptheapex.com/threads/is-the-radio-complaint-becoming-f1s-version-of-diving.7028/

 

[cider_and_toast]

In theory it's a nice idea but as always with FIA mid-season panic directives it's almost impossible to police. How are the FIA to know what is a routine bit of information and what is driver aiding information. What sort of routine information wouldn't aid a driver. As for not passing information in any other way than radio, that was blown out of the water when Nico was asked to show how he thought his tyres were holding up by using a setting on a button on the wheel.

This takes us right back to the "oh so subtle" Alonso is faster than you message. If a team quite happily disregards the team orders rule they would have no worries about doing the same over this.

Then we have to wonder what sanctions will apply should a team be guilty? If it's a five second addition to a pit stop for example, imagine the chaos if one team are done but not another over an ambiguous message.

Standby to listen to messages from the pit wall such as "Fellipe, did you know the swallow flies faster over Finland?" or "Lewis, it's Nico's turn to buy the Coffee"

Simple and workable sollution? Ban all pit to car radio.

 

[Wombcat]

I agree, cider_and_toast, it's silly, a panic reaction and in the long term it will not be enforceable. Just like the ban on team orders.

 

[Wombcat]

Besided that. What if the team decides to use another language. Williams might use finnish for Bottas. I guess the FIA will have it a bit hard to check if there's anything illegal going on.
In WW2 the US used Navajo in the Pacific for some coded messages. For the japanese it was harder to crack than any code.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Think this should be merged with the other thread to be honest

 

[teabagyokel]

cider_and_toast - Add a sense test. If it doesn't make sense, it is banned.

I do feel that they will need pit to car radio for yellow flag information, pitting with damage and weather.

I think they're allowed to say how far in front the next guy is too, that's fine. But the other stuff is a safety concern.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Don't they get yellow flag indications on the wheel?

As for sense test, it's too easy to make up a sensible code mate. For example the driver pre arranges that if he wants to know where his team mate is quicker the he could say, "guys my kers seems down on power" to which his team could reply "check mode 7". I.E he's faster than you in turn 7. Also, any of this information could be given to a driver during a pit stop and not passed by radio.

 

[teabagyokel]

Check mode 7 would be banned though. And as an outsider, it doesn't make sense to me since I don't know what mode 7 is.

Also, any of this information could be given to a driver during a pit stop and not passed by radio

Fair enough. It's the in-ear stuff that's a problem.

 

[cider_and_toast]

I think you would run into an issue as to what constitutes honest technical messages relating to system performance that appear to be technobable and those that are total technobable.

Safety messages can be sent to all cars from the FIA (Charlie) then there would be no need to rely on the teams.

 

[snowy]

Toto Wolff is planning "business as usual" for the Mercedes drivers:

"This is a complex and controversial decision which will require a significant effort from the teams to understand how best we can work around it," said Wolff in a team preview on Friday

 

[Wombcat]

Also, any of this information could be given to a driver during a pit stop and not passed by radio.

I'm not sure if they will be able to that in the 2.8 seconds it takes to change the tyres.

 

[cider_and_toast]

I guess if the information to be passed was pre-arranged before the start of the race then it would be a simple hand signal from the any one in front of the car. eg When I pit for my first stop, let me know which corners I am slower than so and so in or which corners I need to improve on. Just takes a second to hold up a finger or two to show which corner. It's absolutely 100 percent impossible to police.

 

[The Pits]

my impression is that the nature of f1 is too dynamic to have a simple method of communicating all the ne essary variables. for example, how many different settings are there for diff, engine mode, brake balance, kers harvest etc? not to mention other thi.gs that the drivers need to do to correct faults etc.

no, i think this could throw up some penalties, a.d some une pected results. i mean, a team would take a 5 second penalty over a non finish.

 

[chris1981]

how many people think there will be an increase in mechanical retirements as a result of this? With no team telling them to look after x y and z there could be dome interesting results.

 

[marksawatsky]

I suppose this rule is impossible to fully police but it will sure make it a lot harder for teams to help drivers get quicker on the track or pass on data from a teammate. Yes, they could have all kinds of pre-arranged codes for this and that but these things will all have to be discussed beforehand, memorized and pass the scrutiny of the FIA. Where there's a will, there's a way but there are many, many ways to drive an F1 car around a course and I can't imagine a driver memorizing all the codes for the possibilities. I'm happy that the FIA is clamping down on it, even if they can't stop it all together

 

[Brogan]

About fucking time!

 

[gethinceri]

There is no reason for pit to car radio. At all. Ever.

 

[KekeTheKing]

I'm certainly interested how this will work out. Gonna be tough forcing that genie back into the bottle.

 

[ATL11]

I'm certainly interested how this will work out. Gonna be tough forcing that genie back into the bottle.

Only real way is they stop Comms between pit & car, or have it one way, car to pit so the pit can monitor. But there is also a different way with out using a radio that they can still use & not sure it's been mentioned in the rules, these things:

 

[FB]

You have to feel sorry for the poor saps at the FIA who will have to sit and listen to every pit to car communication during the course of a race and. presumably, all the teams will have a "call centre" somewhere with people listening in as well so they can go running to Charlie. If they don't listen to ever communication live then the ban will fall on it's face.

Ferrari have often spoken to Alonso in Italian, I presume if Williams choose to get a Finnish & Portuguese speaker they can do the same with Bottas and Massa (etc, etc) so they will have to have multi-lingual eavesdroppers.

What we need is a Geordie driver and race engineer, no one would have a bloody clue what they were talking about.