F1 bosses ease ban on team radio

Formula One's ruling body on Friday agreed to ease its ban on radio communications between teams and drivers at this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix but plans to go ahead with a full ban starting next year.
In a compromise arrangement agreed overnight after consultations between the International Motoring Federation (FIA), racing teams and the drivers, the ruling body accepted that modern Formula One cars could not be raced without team communications.
The FIA agreed to a compromise following concerns expressed by teams to Formula One race director Charlie Whiting during a meeting late on Thursday about technical and safety implications of the new limits imposed.
Any efforts to help a driver with his own performance are still banned with immediate effect.
The compromise announcement was sent to the teams in a note on Friday. It said the FIA accepted the technical complexity of 2014 cars meant banning messages about car changes could have unintended consequences.
Some drivers, led by Brazilian Felipe Massa, had raised objections to the ban on safety grounds and pointed out that the clampdown gave an advantage to teams with cars with bigger dashboard information screens.
"Any list of restrictions imposed at short notice will have a significantly different effect from team-to-team," the FIA said in its statement.
It listed the messages that remain banned including advice on driving lines on the circuit, contact with kerbs, set-up for particular corners, other drivers’ times and performance details, braking points and driving techniques in general.
Source: AFP