Haug Defends New Rules on Radio Signals

Mercedes motorsport chief Norbert Haug has dismissed suggestions that the fact radio signals will pass bi-directionally between cars and pits in Formula One from next year will limit the influence of the drivers.

"I don't think this will devalue the driver," Haug said on Tuesday. "It is not correct to talk about remote-controlled drivers," he told German sports news agency SID. "This measure is aimed at improving safety and information."

The radio signals already exist in Formula One but so far data could only be transmitted from the cars to the pits. The new measure was one of several adopted last week by the International Automobile Federation (FIA)'s Motor Sport Council for the 2002 season and aimed at improving safety in Formula One.

The Council also decided to increase wheel tether strength by 20 percent and to make rear view mirrors bigger and rear lights larger. Electronically-powered steering systems will be banned and the car's rear impact absorbing structure will be subjected to side load tests.

BMW motorsport boss Gerhard Berger, himself a former Formula One driver, was sceptical about the new rule on radio signals.

"If it's for the sake of safety, then it will be welcomed by everybody," he told SID. "But if piloting can be influenced without the driver being involved, then it's not ideal. As a driver, I could get out of the car, sit in front of a screen in the pits and drive my race from there."