http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/115208
Formula 1 teams should stop controlling drivers, says Horner
Formula 1 teams should stop controlling drivers, says Horner
By Jonathan Noble Wednesday, July 30th 2014, 10:23 GMT
Formula 1 teams must stop trying to control their drivers so much if the sport is going to make them heroes again, reckons Red Bull boss Christian Horner.
As F1 continues to search for answers over a decline in fan interest levels, one theory gaining traction is that drivers have been made too corporate and too boring.
That is because there is too much influence on strategy and performance coming from the pitwall rather than the cockpit, plus drivers are not able to speak out with their true feelings because teams and sponsors baulk at controversy.
But with the sport now becoming more open to the potential need for change, Horner suggests teams must loosen their restrictions on driver behaviour.
"We need to allow the drivers to express themselves more without them being hit by criticism," said Horner, who faced his fair share of controversy in recent years when former team-mates Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber hit out at each other.
"We need to allow their personalities to come out. They have opinions, they have personalities and we should encourage them to see more of them."
Horner also reckons that an over-reliance on team radio information is giving the impression that drivers are simply following instructions rather than being masters of their own destiny.
"Sometimes it feels that the races are a bit too managed," he admitted.
"In conditions like we had in Hungary - just look at [Fernando] Alonso and how fantastic he was. [Lewis] Hamilton came from the back and look at Daniel making his passing around the outside and doing incredible things."
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