McLaren CEO Zak Brown Reveals Secret Radio Games in Formula 1
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, McLaren CEO Zak Brown shed light on the secret radio games played in Formula 1, a tactic used by teams to deceive their rivals and gain a strategic advantage. According to Brown, teams use fake radio calls to throw off their competitors, making it difficult for them to determine their true intentions.
The practice of using fake radio calls is not new, and teams have been using this tactic for some time. Brown explained that these fake calls are used to make it seem like the team is planning a certain strategy, when in reality, they have no intention of doing so. This can lead to rival teams making incorrect assumptions and adjusting their strategy accordingly.
As reported by Motorsport.com, Brown gave an example of how this works. “We’re doing real questions, we’re doing fake questions because all of the teams are allowed to listen to each other,” he said. “It’s kind of like a third base coach at a baseball game is doing all these signs, but you know when he touches his hat, the next sign counts. But until he touches his hat… so we do that verbally.”
Brown went on to explain that when McLaren asks their driver, Oscar Piastri, about his tyre condition, it is a real question. However, anything they say after that is a bogus question. “So if we say to Oscar, ‘Oscar, how are your tyres?’ That is a real question. Anything we say after tyres, if we say anything, it’s a bogus question,” Brown said.
The goal of these fake radio calls is to get the driver to give a fake answer, which can then be used to deceive rival teams. Brown explained that if McLaren asks Piastri about his tyre condition and he responds with a fake answer, such as saying he can’t last much longer, it can lead rival teams to believe that McLaren is planning to pit soon.
Christian Horner, team chief of Red Bull, recently experienced this firsthand. According to Motorsport.com, Horner explained that McLaren attempted to use a dummy call with Red Bull, but his team was able to see through the tactic. “It was clear that McLaren had chosen to pit Norris first as we approached the pit stops, but before that, they played a trick with Lando that made no sense to us because he would have come out in traffic,” Horner said.
The use of fake radio calls is just one of the many tactics used in Formula 1 to gain a strategic advantage. As Brown explained, it’s all about trying to outsmart your rivals and gain an edge. With the help of Motorsport.com, we can gain a deeper understanding of the intricacies of Formula 1 and the tactics used by teams to succeed.
In conclusion, the use of fake radio calls in Formula 1 is a clever tactic used by teams to deceive their rivals and gain a strategic advantage. As Zak Brown explained, it’s all about using verbal cues to make it seem like the team is planning a certain strategy, when in reality, they have no intention of doing so. With the help of sources like Motorsport.com, we can stay up to date on the latest developments in Formula 1 and gain a deeper understanding of the sport.
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