SINGAPORE, September 18- Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have welcomed the sound of radio silence for the final six races of their dramatic duel for the drivers’ world championship.
The Mercedes team-mates, who have fought an intense and sometimes acrimonious battle this year, will no longer have unrestricted radio contact with their engineering teams, following a ban on ‘performance-related’ radio communications by the sport’s ruling body, the International Motoring Federation (FIA).
“All the fans are cheering so it looks like the right way to go,” said German Rosberg, who leads Hamilton by 22 points ahead of Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix.
“In my opinion it’s definitely a good thing, because it’s just more pure racing. Until now we did so much based on what they (engineers) told us to do on the radio. Now it’s up to us.”
Hamilton agreed.
“I quite like the idea, but in some ways it makes it harder, like engine strategy – how are we to know what strategy to use?”
He added that the clampdown could affect the intense title battle between himself and Rosberg.
“It’s going to be really important that we’re on the same strategy. Always.
“There’s been a couple of times when Nico has been on a different strategy to me that gives either more or less power and those things disadvantage you.
“So as long as you don’t have any problems there, the rest of it we’ll manage.”
He said the ban would also mean purer racing.
“I hope it’s a plus for me. I remember way back in karts, we didn’t have any data, so nobody could ever see where I was quick, anything I did, any trick I had.
“So maybe it’s a bit of a step back in that direction — I quite like it that we’re left to do it ourselves.”
