Fernando Alonso has criticized Formula 1’s decision to include certain on-board radio messages in live broadcasts. The Spaniard came under fire after the Singapore Grand Prix due to a late tirade towards his race engineer. According to Alonso, it is often ‘unnecessary’ to broadcast certain messages, as viewers lack the necessary context to understand them properly.
After the Singapore Grand Prix, where Alonso was unable to pass Lewis Hamilton‘s broken car, the two-time world champion vented his frustration over the on-board radio. “I can’t f*cking believe it,” Alonso shouted at race engineer Andrew Vizard. “I can’t f*cking believe it. It’s not safe to drive without brakes, is it?” he asked angrily. “I should have been on f*cking P7, he (Hamilton) can’t race like this, can he?” argued Alonso. Hamilton eventually received a time penalty, which allowed Alonso to inherit seventh place.
Earlier, Formula 1 had broadcast a message in which Alonso openly criticized Vizard. “If you keep talking to me every lap, I’ll turn off the on-board radio,” came the voice from the Aston Martin cockpit. Prior to the United States Grand Prix, Alonso emphasized that the sport needs to be more careful when broadcasting these conversations. “Sometimes unnecessary and often poorly chosen,” the 44-year-old driver criticized the direction of the on-board radios.
Lack of Context
“In 99.9 percent of cases, the messages are misunderstood because they are private conversations between the driver and the team,” he explained. “If you only broadcast one sentence, it’s impossible to understand what it means. Moreover, if a team radio is the most interesting aspect of a race, it says a lot about the limited entertainment value – and that’s sad. We really need to improve this as a sport.”
Alonso received support from his fellow drivers, including Oliver Bearman. “It’s not ideal,” confirmed the Haas rookie. “It’s an age-old example, but if a footballer or another athlete had a microphone, it would also paint a very different picture,” he reiterated Sebastian Vettel’s famous words. “When you want to share your frustrations with your engineer, you sometimes don’t think about all the other people who might be able to hear it. In my opinion, there should be stricter supervision of this.”
