Alpine team boss: "It may sound crazy, but the biggest difference is the radio"

F1 News

25 April 2021 at 16:45
Last update 25 April 2021 at 19:24
  • GPblog.com

Davide Brivio, the new Alpine team boss, was until recently the team boss of the Suzuki MotoGP team. At the start of this year, he made the unexpected move to Formula 1. He discusses the main differences between the highest class of car and motorcycle racing.

Biggest difference between Formula 1 and MotoGP

Brivio explains in conversation with Motorsport.com what he believes are the biggest differences between Formula 1 and MotoGP. For followers of MotoGP, the answer will sound logical: "It may sound crazy, but the biggest difference is the radio," says Brivio. In MotoGP, there is no onboard radio. In fact, until a few years ago, outside of the pit boards displayed at start-finish every lap, there was no communication of any kind between the riders and teams there. In 2018, it became possible to send short messages to the riders' dashboard, but this option is also very limited.

"In Formula 1, you are in constant contact with the driver and the engineer is always giving instructions. In MotoGP, the driver is on his own after the start, and you can't do anything. Here it's almost like you're in the car, you're involved in everything," continues Brivio.

Another difference is the length of the race, which is an hour longer in Formula 1. Despite this, the races go by much faster for Brivio's liking, because as team boss he is constantly listening, checking and analysing. "That's a very interesting, great experience," said Brivio.