Fernando Alonso has again criticised Formula 1‘s use of team radio during live broadcasts, describing them as “unnecessary” and often “poorly chosen”.
During the Singapore Grand Prix, the Spaniard had several fiery radio comments, shown on the live feed.
This included a sarcastic remark about Isack Hadjar deserving a “trophy for hero of [the] race” and a sharp rebuke to his engineer: “If you speak to me every lap, I will disconnect the radio.”
Post-race, a frustrated Alonso also unleashed a profanity-laden tirade that wasn’t included in the initial broadcast but quickly spread across social media.
His anger stemmed from an intense battle with Lewis Hamilton. As the Ferrari struggled with a lack of brakes, Alonso raised concerns over track limits.
When asked about his opinions on these moments being shared on international broadcasts, Alonso didn’t hold back, arguing that F1’s selective choices of radio often misrepresent drivers.
“It’s unnecessary sometimes, poorly broadcast and chosen by the one choosing which radios to broadcast,” Alonso told media including Motorsport Week.
“It’s misunderstood 99.9 per cent of the time because they are private conversations with your engineer or team. Things you might have already discussed in the strategy meeting on Sunday morning. When you only broadcast one sentence, it’s impossible to understand from home the repercussions it has.’
Alonso reflected that when radio clips become the main event, it often reflects a lack of on-track entertainment for viewers.
“Sometimes, when the radio broadcast is the protagonist of the race, that’s very sad – it means the race itself was poor in terms of entertainment,” he argued.
“That’s something we need to improve, all as a group in the sport.”
Drivers united against an ‘age-old problem’
Alonso’s frustration with F1’s worldwide broadcast is shared by many drivers.
Just last week, Carlos Sainz criticised the sport’s live coverage, claiming it focuses too heavily on the drivers’ partners and families.
However, this week, Haas’ Ollie Bearman offered a counterargument to what he called an “age-old” question.
“It’s the age-old thing – if a footballer or another sportsman had a mic on and were broadcast, the view would be very different,” Bearman said.
“With the amount of adrenaline and pressure we’re under, when you open the radio and want to share frustration with your engineer, you’re not thinking about the whole world listening.
“It’s a shame it’s broadcast; for me, it should be cracked down a little bit.”
Franco Colapinto echoed this sentiment, highlighting the mental load unique to F1 drivers in the cockpit.
“It’s a sport that has very different things compared to others. Two minutes before we jump in the car, we’re with fans, with people – we’re not fully focused yet.
“Any other sport, the athletes are locked in, isolated from distractions for hours before performing,” he explained.
“For it to be open to the whole world, everyone being able to listen to what we say – sometimes it’s tough.”
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