F1 radio rules: Haas joins calls to clear up confusion

Unease is growing in F1 about the ban on radio traffic under sporting regulation 27.1 that states 'a driver shall drive the car alone and unaided'

Following the incident surrounding Nico Rosberg during the British Grand Prix, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner slated the rule as "rubbish", while Williams technical director Pat Symonds claimed it to be "very, very vague".

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff believes there needs to be a rethink, with his team insisting discussions were needed "on the subject of the perceived over-regulation of the sport".

Haas boss Steiner feels it is incumbent on the FIA to make a judgment on the grey areas for the sake of F1 as a whole.

"The biggest difficulty is making a judgment on what is legal and what's not," said Steiner, when asked about the rules by Autosport.

"The line is not clear. How you can write a clear line on what to say, or if somebody suggests what you said was a code and it wasn't?

"On the pitwall you are asking 'Can we say this?' 'I don't really know if we can say that. I think we can'. It's the uncertainty.

"We need to define it better, but as to how easy that is, I know I wouldn't like to write that rule.

"And not talking [over the radio] is not good because it takes something away from the fans.

"We all just want clarity for the benefit of the sport, not to do anything wrong.

"This rule is not black and white."

Steiner can understand certain aspects of the radio traffic ban, but feels for a situation like that Rosberg and Mercedes faced at Silverstone, it went too far.

"If the team cannot influence the strategy, and it's just down to the driver, it's not really fair," added Steiner.

"But telling them how to start is also not right. The car becomes a PlayStation car in saying 'You do this, you do that'. It's a fine line.

"And with Rosberg, he had a problem with the gearbox and they told him not to go into a certain gear.

"You could say it would have been dangerous to have gone into that gear because all of a sudden you are in neutral and you fly off [the track]."