Is it time to allow full 2-way communication between the pits and the cars? Currently we have the situation where the car can report to the pits, generate a plethora of data for the mechanics to digest, the mechanics can see problems arising and work out what to do to maintain the car. They then have to relate that information to the driver who is navigating a car at 150-215mph and expect him to know exactly how to do it!
We must be able to let the mechanics maintain the car via two-way communication, after all it is a team sport & there are two championships to fight for, constructors & drivers.
Once you remove all this from the drivers realm of responsibility you can make the steering wheel far more simple, just warning lights, rev counter and brake bias controls (this would also help with cost savings).
As for radio communication, I'm support fully the decision to get rid of the coaching that was going on during the races/qualifying. At no point should the pits or pit-wall be telling a driver how to drive whilst they are on the track during a competitive session. In free practice, crack on & do what you want. They'll see the info once they get back to the pits anyway so those sessions should be a free-for-all on radio communications. Once you arrive at Qualifying however, all your homework should be done & you either stay out on track or waste time coming in to the pits to get the info.
During the race or qualifying, the driver should be allowed to communicate their decision on strategy & tactics to the team. The team should not be allowed to advise or dictate this to the driver. This should be the drivers responsibility only once they have left the pits. If they choose the wrong moment to pit, or choose the wrong tyres so be it.
In the pits during the race or qualifying should be the only opportunity for the driver to receive information on strategy/tactics/other drivers/weather etc.. They can choose to receive as much or as little information as they want but only when the car is stationary in the pit box, the time that someone could be physically shouting info to them through their helmet. Again if they sit too long gathering info they run the risk of losing places but that would be the drivers choice.
By restricting the amount of information available to the driver during the race more tactical errors are likely to be made. Drivers are more likely to have to try & overtake. The focus for too long has been about strategy and how to "pass people in the pits" or use the undercut. I'm sick of these phrases and the deployment of these tactics.
If the drivers are forced to overtake more rather than sitting behind waiting for a pit stop, maybe the designers will start to make cars that can follow in dirty air more easily. If the drivers are the ones calling the shots on strategy once in the race, maybe the cream of the crop really will rise to the top.
We must be able to let the mechanics maintain the car via two-way communication, after all it is a team sport & there are two championships to fight for, constructors & drivers.
Once you remove all this from the drivers realm of responsibility you can make the steering wheel far more simple, just warning lights, rev counter and brake bias controls (this would also help with cost savings).
As for radio communication, I'm support fully the decision to get rid of the coaching that was going on during the races/qualifying. At no point should the pits or pit-wall be telling a driver how to drive whilst they are on the track during a competitive session. In free practice, crack on & do what you want. They'll see the info once they get back to the pits anyway so those sessions should be a free-for-all on radio communications. Once you arrive at Qualifying however, all your homework should be done & you either stay out on track or waste time coming in to the pits to get the info.
During the race or qualifying, the driver should be allowed to communicate their decision on strategy & tactics to the team. The team should not be allowed to advise or dictate this to the driver. This should be the drivers responsibility only once they have left the pits. If they choose the wrong moment to pit, or choose the wrong tyres so be it.
In the pits during the race or qualifying should be the only opportunity for the driver to receive information on strategy/tactics/other drivers/weather etc.. They can choose to receive as much or as little information as they want but only when the car is stationary in the pit box, the time that someone could be physically shouting info to them through their helmet. Again if they sit too long gathering info they run the risk of losing places but that would be the drivers choice.
By restricting the amount of information available to the driver during the race more tactical errors are likely to be made. Drivers are more likely to have to try & overtake. The focus for too long has been about strategy and how to "pass people in the pits" or use the undercut. I'm sick of these phrases and the deployment of these tactics.
If the drivers are forced to overtake more rather than sitting behind waiting for a pit stop, maybe the designers will start to make cars that can follow in dirty air more easily. If the drivers are the ones calling the shots on strategy once in the race, maybe the cream of the crop really will rise to the top.
