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[vlad]

As far as I know, the policy of the broadcasted team radios is to be on English. But, no, Ferrari is different...

[myownalias]

I've just had a good root around the FIA website and I can't find any mention of the team radio in English only rule... I originally heard this rule from Martin Brundle on the BBC last year; guess it's either been repealed or Brundle was incorrect; where did you hear it DD?

[darwin dali]

I've just had a good root around the FIA website and I can't find any mention of the team radio in English only rule... I originally heard this rule from Martin Brundle on the BBC last year; guess it's either been repealed or Brundle was incorrect; where did you hear it DD?

It was mentioned on Speed as well. Not a rule I guess, more of a directive, a 'should' do for the good of the business that is Formula One (audience) and possibly to avoid any secret messaging (back in the time when team orders were outlawed).

[darwin dali]

Speaking of speaking Italian: I thought there's a directive that teams ought to use English in their radio communications? Ferrari often throws Italian at FM and FA (both of whom are NOT native Italian speakers). Are there any penalties for this flagrant disregard of the FIA's wishes (with the audience in mind)? Should Ferrari get stripped of their constructors' points for every race they used Italian?

I really get bored when I hear that nasal guy talking in Italian... FFS, everyone else uses English!

A) DD there is no such FiA rule
B) Vlad, everyone speaks English do they? That will come as quite a surprise to most of China, India and the Latino world. FYI Ferrari is an Italian team based in Italy - shock horror, they speak Italian. Still, I'm totally convinced they'll be mortified when they find out you're life is made more difficult when they speak in their native tongue.

Note my wording: directive, not a rule - since I thought it was not an official rule, but a 'memo' from the FIA.

And again: neither FA nor FM are native Italian speakers and they both are fully capable of communicating in English as are the engineers.

[What's Burning?]

Mercedes didn't speak German to Nico or Michael. I don't care what they speak when they transmit the radio message, but the point is that it's noticed because in this case Ferrari is the only exception to the norm. So they're choosing to do it for a reason and the only explanation is that it's for the home crowd.

[spankyham]

Speaking of speaking Italian: I thought there's a directive that teams ought to use English in their radio communications? Ferrari often throws Italian at FM and FA (both of whom are NOT native Italian speakers). Are there any penalties for this flagrant disregard of the FIA's wishes (with the audience in mind)? Should Ferrari get stripped of their constructors' points for every race they used Italian?

I really get bored when I hear that nasal guy talking in Italian... FFS, everyone else uses English!

A) DD there is no such FiA rule
B) Vlad, everyone speaks English do they? That will come as quite a surprise to most of China, India and the Latino world. FYI Ferrari is an Italian team based in Italy - shock horror, they speak Italian. Still, I'm totally convinced they'll be mortified when they find out you're life is made more difficult when they speak in their native tongue.

Note my wording: directive, not a rule - since I thought it was not an official rule, but a 'memo' from the FIA.

And again: neither FA nor FM are native Italian speakers and they both are fully capable to communicate in English as are the engineers.

Sorry mate, but that is a croc. If you think either Nando or Felipe are anywhere near as comfortable communicating in English as they are in Italian - when they are talking to Italians - really? Their native tongues are Latin based languages. They all intrinsically speak, and more importantly think that way.

WB - The Mercedes you are talking about is based in Brackley (last I heard the native language there is something like English). The race engineers who talk to Michael and Nico are English and speak English so, guess what, the common language they have is ....... English. The team is predominantly English. They also didn't speak Japanese in 2008

[darwin dali]

Speaking of speaking Italian: I thought there's a directive that teams ought to use English in their radio communications? Ferrari often throws Italian at FM and FA (both of whom are NOT native Italian speakers). Are there any penalties for this flagrant disregard of the FIA's wishes (with the audience in mind)? Should Ferrari get stripped of their constructors' points for every race they used Italian?

I really get bored when I hear that nasal guy talking in Italian... FFS, everyone else uses English!

A) DD there is no such FiA rule
B) Vlad, everyone speaks English do they? That will come as quite a surprise to most of China, India and the Latino world. FYI Ferrari is an Italian team based in Italy - shock horror, they speak Italian. Still, I'm totally convinced they'll be mortified when they find out you're life is made more difficult when they speak in their native tongue.

Note my wording: directive, not a rule - since I thought it was not an official rule, but a 'memo' from the FIA.

And again: neither FA nor FM are native Italian speakers and they both are fully capable to communicate in English as are the engineers.

Sorry mate, but that is a croc. If you think either Nando or Felipe are anywhere near as comfortable communicating in English as they are in Italian - when they are talking to Italians - really? Their native tongues are Latin based languages. They all intrinsically speak, and more importantly think that way.

WB - The Mercedes you are talking about is based in Brackley (last I heard the native language there is something like English). The race engineers who talk to Michael and Nico are English and speak English so, guess what, the common language they have is ....... English. The team is predominantly English. They also didn't speak Japanese in 2008

Did I say that they are as comfortable in English? No! Do they have to be comfortable? No. Why should they have an advantage over somebody whose native language is German or Finnish and yet needs to talk in English like everybody else? Are they capable of communicating in English - you'd better believe it!
Last I heard the native language of the Britain-based sport called Formula One is something like English. I haven't heard Jean Todt give a press conference in French - ever!

[What's Burning?]

ahhh the off season.

[darwin dali]

ahhh the off season.

Yeah, need to keep this joint burning...

[spankyham]

ahhh the off season.

Yeah, need to keep this joint burning...

Lets burn the house down I say

Did I say that they are as comfortable in English? No! Do they have to be comfortable? No. Why should they have an advantage over somebody whose native language is German or Finnish and yet needs to talk in English like everybody else? Are they capable of communicating in English - you'd better believe it!
Last I heard the native language of the Britain-based sport called Formula One is something like English. I haven't heard Jean Todt give a press conference in French - ever!

Grand Prix racing is not English, it originated in France. F1 is not English. The FiA is French. Their communications and rules are written in French.

Now, why on Earth should an Italian team have their race compromised by being forced to think and communicate in a foreign language? Pretty arrogant attitude really.

[bud]

Um half the "Italian team" is not Italian. So there is no foreign language, the lingua franca of F1 is English. The FIA is bilingual in French and English.
Ferrari as in Alonso and his Engineer conveniently talk in Italian when they want to hide something, English when they want others to know something. Do they think Italian is a coded language? I laughed when they subtitled their convo!

[GRHinPorts]

Presumably Ferrari speak to FA (rarely FM who gets all his communication through the very English Rob Smedley) because they want to disguise their tactics to the rest of the pitlane. The thing is surely all the other teams can get a very quick Italian translation done and the subterfuge fails. The only ones who miss out here is the English watching audience - unless the TV comms make the translation. Im not really sure why Ferrari do it but not really fussed either way.

[FerrariFan63]

I think this conversation is getting stupid. Providing that they're not especially learning to speak Njerep so that it's unlikely others will be able to understand what they say, speaking in a major language and the language of the team is just completely normal and nothing to comment on. It should be completely up to those communicating, the driver and the engineers/team managers, what language they use. Ferrari team speaks to driver in Italian - news at 11.

Just another weak attempt to raise an issue where there is none.

[Denthúl]

I don't really see a problem with it. It's no worse (in fact, arguably better) than teams throwing in expletives to prevent a message being broadcast at all.

[LewEngBridewell]

What a peculiar argument we're having here