By Parminio
January 22 2003

It would seem to some that the FIA are giving an honest effort to reduce the cost of competing in Formula 1. There are those however that think the FIA are making it up as they go along, and have no idea what they're doing. This writer is one of the later. Let's talk about a couple of the changes just announced. The banning of two way telemetry. (Pit to car / car to pit)

This was introduced as a "cost cutting" idea. That's about as cost cutting as telling someone who doesn't buy toothpaste to not buy toothpaste. There are two kinds of teams in F1. Those who use 2 way telemetry and those who do not. You can make an argument that those who do not simply can't afford it and that it puts them at a dissadvantage. You would be right. Formula 1 however, was not founded to be a contest between similar cars with the same limitations. Formula 1 is allegedly the "pinnacle" of motorsports. It's supposed to be where the latest in technology and mechanics meets...and only the best can win. Lately, that's been the case. Ferrari have simply been unreal. Their technology is light years ahead of teams like Minardi. But to ban two-way telemetry means only this: They will have more money to spend some place else. So who does it hurt? The teams with money. They lose a valuable tool to combat each other. It will not change the fact that they will spend the same if not more money somewhere else to find new improvements to win. So do the lesser teams save money? Of course not! They never had the systems to begin with, so they save nothing at all. The team hurt the absolute worst is Sauber...who just spend a LOT of money on a system that the FIA has deemed illegal just weeks before the start of the season.

So let's talk about the radio ban. Ok, this is a totally lame move, not to mention dangerous. The FIA had better pray to God that they have some world class Olympic Sprinters on hand at every single race. Radio was put in to cars for many reasons. One of the first reasons believe it or not was for safety. It's simple really...if something happens on the track, there is no human on earth that can get over a wall, out to the side of the track, and start waving a flag in less that 1.3 seconds. In 1.3 seconds, a Formula 1 car can cover the length of a football field and more. So...here's your hypothetical:

Let's say that JV does his famous "Eau Rouge Roll" at the top of the hill and that Kimi Raikonnen is just going into Eau Rouge proper about 2.1 seconds behind him. Let's just say that JV's car winds up in the middle of the race line just over the hill as Raikonnen heads up the hill at 180mph. Now, with less than 2 seconds to act, no marshall will even be able to get over the wall in time...let alone out to warn Kimi. It wouldn't take a second for a McLaren engineer or Ron himself to yell, "BRAKES!!!" into the radio. Now, God forbid that situation ever happens...but it has happened before in motor racing. That's why Formula 1, NASCAR, GT & GTS, Rally, and nearly EVERY other form of racing on earth uses radio. To let drivers know who is where, if they are coming up on a wreck, or maybe just a car with a flat tire trying to limp back to the pits.

The FIA are really making some highly unorthodoxed calls. With the "I don't care if they leave" attitude that Max Mosley has displayed lately, one wonders if the FIA are really trying to make Formula 1 a safer and more exciting sport, or just flexing their muscles to the teams as if to say, "We're in charge and you'll do as your told." If that's the case, the break-away series is looking better and better every day.