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Hamilton says radio ban exacerbates danger in F1
BAKU: Formula One’s clampdown on radio communications between engineers and drivers has made the sport more dangerous, triple world champion Lewis Hamilton said
BAKU: Formula One’s clampdown on radio communications between engineers and drivers has made the sport more dangerous, triple world champion Lewis Hamilton said on Sunday.
The Mercedes driver, who finished fifth in Azerbaijan’s first grand prix, said he had spent much of the race distracted and wrestling with his car’s engine settings while engineers were powerless to help.
The Briton summed up the situation in one word — “dangerous” — and suggested the rules needed to be reconsidered.
“I am just looking at my steering wheel for a large portion of the lap — all the way down the straight just looking at my wheel,” he said.
“All they can tell me is there is a switch error, so I am looking at every single switch thinking am I being an idiot here? Have I done something wrong? I hadn’t.”
Baku has the longest straight in F1, with cars hitting speeds in excess of 370kph. The track also winds through streets and around the ancient city walls, with scant run-off. That means settings are changed on the straight, with drivers taking their eyes off the road at the fastest moment. The rules were tightened this year to try to make races more exciting and less predictable by putting the emphasis on driver skills.
“The radio ban, as far as I am aware was supposed to stop driver aids but it wasn’t a driver aid, it was a technical issue,” said Hamilton. “Today would have added to the spectacle if I had full power because I would have been more in the race fighting with the guys up ahead...maybe the rule needs to be looked at again because it is a technical issue.”
