Red Bull F1 Team Principal Christian Horner said that Formula One has become "too much of a technology race" and drivers once again need to be the "heroes," according to Rebecca Williams of the HERALD SUN. Horner’s comments come as Australian Daniel Ricciardo "called for more noise and equal machinery as part of his blueprint for the future of the sport." Horner said that the sport had moved away from "pure racing" and drivers' skill was not as much of a factor "as it should be." Horner said, "The drivers need to be the heroes. At the end of the day, without the fans, there is no Formula One. We have a responsibility to put on a show for the fans and it should be man and machine at the limit and it’s too much of a technology race at the minute as opposed to pure racing." FIA said last month that new bodywork rules were aimed at creating "more exciting cars, delivering additional downforce to increase speeds and lower lap times." Horner: "I would like to see cars that are harder to drive that sort the men out from the boys, that they can race wheel to wheel, that they are going to be spectacular and you’re going to think ‘Wow’ when you see that car live" (HERALD SUN, 3/14).
RADIO PLAY: AUTOSPORT's Lawrence Barretto reported defending F1 champion and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton said that this season's increased restrictions on radio communications will make life "a lot harder" for drivers. There will be a stricter enforcement of the regulations around radio messages, requiring each F1 driver to drive his car "alone and unaided." Mercedes Exec Dir Toto Wolff believes the rules will make drivers "more prone to making mistakes or wrong strategic decisions during a race." Hamilton: "It is a big change and whether or not I agree with all the of the implications I think it's definitely going to make it a lot harder" (AUTOSPORT, 3/14).
LAUDA WEIGHS IN: MOTORSPORT's Pablo Elizalde wrote three-time world champion Niki Lauda believes the new elimination Formula 1 qualifying format introduced for '16 is "stupid." The new format has "not been well received by several drivers." Lauda, a non-exec chair at Mercedes, joined the group of detractors, although he said that "it is a better alternative than reversed grids," an idea proposed by F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone. Lauda: "The new format seems stupid. ... The initial proposal was to reverse the grid, with the fastest time in 10th place and so on. For us at Mercedes it was not a compelling idea. So it was better to accept the other proposal, though I don't know if everything will be ready in Melbourne to deliver it" (MOTORSPORT, 3/14).
