Symonds disagrees with “harsh” radio restrictions

2016 F1 season

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Williams technical chief Pat Symonds weighed into the row over Formula One’s radio restrictions, arguing teams should be allowed to assist their drivers.

“I think that the interpretation that’s been put on the rules is quite harsh,” Symonds said during today’s press conference at the Hungaroring.

From this weekend teams must tell their driver to pit if they are informing them of a problem with their car related to something other than its bodywork.

Hungaroring practice in pictures
“The rules that [we] are taking about is a rule that says the driver must drive the car alone and unaided,” he said. “I think it was put there many, many years ago to perhaps limit some of the electronic controls and things like that. Indeed it was that very rule that was cited in the banning of traction control, for example.”

“To bring it in to the sphere of communication with the driver is odd. I’ve always through of Formula One as being a team sport and I’ve always thought, as teams, we should participate together to assist our driver. And you know, you can ask where the limit is.”

“If the driver is to do everything alone and unaided, should he change his own tyres at the pit stop? Clearly ridiculous but that could be the logical extension of it?”

Symonds linked the new restrictions with the decrease in radio communications being broadcast on television this year.

“I think it’s rather a shame that something that’s really unique in motorsport is something that we are doing away with,” he said. “If you cast your mind back just a few weeks, we have the Euro football championship going on, that fantastic game, Italy and Germany, it’s going to penalties, wouldn’t you have loved to have heard what was being said?”

“Three penalties missed. Would you have not wanted to hear what the goalkeeper was saying? Would you not wanted to hear what those strikers were saying?”

“Now in Formula One we actually have the ability to engage our fans and allow them into the cockpit to get that sort of level of immersion… and we’ve allowed it to go away. I think that’s the biggest shame of all.”

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    Keith Collantine
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    19 comments on “Symonds disagrees with “harsh” radio restrictions”

    1. “Now in Formula One we actually have the ability to engage our fans and allow them into the cockpit to get that sort of level of immersion… and we’ve allowed it to go away. I think that’s the biggest shame of all.”

      Exactly.

      1. The reason we hear fewer team radio messages in the broadcasts this year is not because of the new restrictions. As noted here in the transcript articles several times this year including the most recent one there is still a lot of radio communication going on, it’s just that FOM has for some reason decided to start broadcasting much less of it.

        1. So let me get this straight. The radio communications was supposedly off-putting for the fans, so they made a rule restricting what exactly could be said on the radio. Then, when less radio messages are broadcast on TV, it’s not because of the restrictions, it’s because FOM has stopped broadcasting radio messages.

          Am I missing something? Why don’t we cut out the middle man (the radio restrictions) and just not broadcast the radio messages that are considered to be helping the driver? What the fans don’t know about those radio messages won’t hurt them, and these restrictions seem to be getting more and more absurd all the time.

          1. @omegadetra

            Am I missing something? Why don’t we cut out the middle man (the radio restrictions) and just not broadcast the radio messages that are considered to be helping the driver?

            Because then you aren’t fixing the problem, you’re just pretending it isn’t there. Which is surely the worst of all available options.

            1. I just don’t see it as a problem, though. If the radio communications bother the fans, don’t give them to the fans at all, but leave the drivers and teams alone.

        2. Yes I know (as I said last time you replied to me with the FOM explanation) … neither me nor Symonds were referring to what FOM broadcast or filter however so I don’t see your comment as relevant.

          1. Symonds is saying there’s been a reduction in radio messages which is a bad thing for fans of the sport and I don’t disagree. There is no means for the fans to listen to those conversations besides those which pass through the FOM filter. So it’s impossible to apply the distinction you’re making to his point.

            When he says “we have allowed it to go away”, that may be true of a small number of a certain type of radio message but there are still more which could be broadcast which aren’t.

      2. I hate the radio messages and always have. I get that people like it and that they have been there for the 40 years I have been watching this sport, but I would just like the broadcasters to leave an option to turn them off. This would solve all the problems without changing any rules. I really don’t care what happens if I can’t hear them. The rest of the people that like them can then listen to them. Although I did like watching that last Motogp race and watching Rossi not know that he had already lost.

    2. Symonds is like the new “Daddy” of F1 it seems. He speaks wisdom, makes perfectly valid points, that all us fans seem to agree on.

      To bad he is in position of almost zero power to turn his wise oppinions in to wise F1 regulations.

      1. @jureo Ordinarily I would probably agree – I often spot myself nodding along when Symonds is talking. But not this time. Partly because of the reason above and partly because of that line about the pit stops. Since when did anyone consider changing a tyre being the same thing as driving a car? Symonds isn’t the only one to have trotted out that line and I think it’s just silly.

        Furthermore, he doesn’t appear to believe there should be any kind of limit on what messages teams give their drivers. Should they be told how late to brake for a corner or what gear to take it in? I don’t want drivers being given that level of assistance during races, it should be down to them to drive their cars.

        1. Where does he say teams should be allowed to tell the driver when to brake?

          Well like any Daddy he tends to exaggerate.. But his general principal is good.

          We had better team radio last year.

          Then there is “uncle” Horner, who questions if teams are really not allowed to tell their driver of impending brake failure?

          If you go totally by “alone and unaided” simply switch to MotoGP policy, raiders doing several laps to many due to lack of strategic communications.

          Is pit strategy dictated by the teams also “alone and unaided”?

          What would happen. If drivers had to select strategy? I bet races would improve. Any reason then left to have pit radio?

          All we hear now is: team orders, pit strategy and flag warnings and notfications.

          Rules are not clear enough, and especially lacking is clear definition of intent behind them.

          #1 action should be FOM broadcasting all the radio messages. Easy to implement requires zero rule changes.

          Long term situation needs refining.

          1. @jureo

            #1 action should be FOM broadcasting all the radio messages

            On that I wholeheartedly agree!

        2. Is anybody suggesting that driver coaching should be allowed during qualifying or the race?

          Those are the type of instructions that annoyed the fans the most, because it nullifies the differences between the two drivers.

          But engineering info I think most would agree too. For two reasons;
          1 Drivers are not engineers
          2. Should drivers be spending long periods consulting options and deciding which one to use, rather that concentrating on their main job driving. I think the nearest example I can think of that we might have experienced, if you’re an idiot, is texting whilst driving over the speed limit on a busy motorway, NOT safe is it.

    3. I say no restrictions at all. Let it be as it has been. If any driver or team gains advantage by communication then so what, it s the same for every team and every driver. There are times when limiting info may become a far greater danger than being able to let a driver know OF danger. If one team is more effective than others with clever communication then perhaps others may need to raise their game. Fans demand that Rules makers quit dumbing down Formula One

    4. The problem with the radio rule, is that such a rule just ends up being way too ambiguous. Its really a bit of a stretch defining EXACTLY what is allowed to be said and what isn’t. We have already seen the rule being interpreted and implemented differently between different teams, and even interpreted and implemented differently between different drivers within the same team! Plus teams will always find ways of passing cryptic messages using ‘allowed’ wording.

      I think the rule should just be scrapped altogether. Let the engineers “control” the drivers from the pit wall if that’s what they have to do. At least it will be a level playing field, and at the end of the day, the best driver/car/team combo will always prevail.

    5. I cannot agree more with this. The cars are as complicated to manage as one can maybe only imagine, probably beyond imagination. F1 is a team sport, can’t agree more. I would be of opposite thinking towards lower divisions, but being this F1 I expect it to be as extreme and techically advanced as possible. Let the drivers drive and the team manage from the pits, hearing it on live radio broadcast is as exciting as it gets. Was, I should say.

      1. You sir said exactly what I think. @alfa145

    6. Whole alone and unaided argument is void.

      Driver changed dampers? Inflated tires? Did he get any aid in starting the engine?

      It is a team sport. Team aid is part of performance… Just clarify the.rule.to “driver coaching over the radio is not allowed”.

      But things involved with fixing the car… Those should be fair.

      1. You are right @jureo.
        If a wing is broken, it won’t be the driver who replace it. How managing a faulty engine is any different ?

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