Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has suggested an admittedly bizarre rule change for Formula One going forwards which could make Lewis Hamilton’s life much more difficult. The Austrian believes that one-way communication between drivers and engineers is the way forward.
The 79-year-old is against racers receiving support from their team whilst driving due to the regularity of communication between the two. The Red Bull figure further suggested that any communication from engineers to drivers should be banned entirely so that only the driver can speak via a one-way channel.
His approach was trialled in the past in the hybrid era of racing, although the idea never took off and it quickly reversed to the current format. And with Hamilton regularly receiving advice from Mercedes chiefs due to their ongoing porpoising issues, the rules would only prove detrimental to his cause to get back into the picture for race wins if contact was to be restricted.
“It’s partly like being in driving school,” Marko told ServusTV of the current F1 communication system. “You could limit it so that it only goes in one direction, that you only let the driver do it, but don’t let him get technical support.
“It’s like: ‘You lose five meters in turn ten when braking and in turn three the other driver takes it a little more slowly.’ So a driver gets all this information and that makes it easier for him.”
The proposal is bizarre due to how well Max Verstappen and Red Bull hero Gianpiero Lambiase communicate in the two-way format, with many heralding them as the dream partnership. However, the move would possibly prove fruitful for Charles Leclerc, with the Ferrari star currently frustrated by his team for their careless decisions which have seen the Monegasque slip down the standings despite being one of the best drivers on the grid.
The 25-year-old lost his head after being told to pit behind team-mate Carlos Sainz at the Monaco Grand Prix, sliding from first to fourth on the day. “Let down is not the word,” he said.
