F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone says he was the driving force behind the clampdown on radio communications between drivers and their teams.

Most of the new rules come in to effect this weekend though some have been held over until Suzuka.

Speaking ahead of the Singapore weekend, Ecclestone has claimed responsibility for the clampdown suggesting it was potentially holding up the sport to ridicule by taking away much of the mystique of the driver's role, going on to suggest that in time the ban could go even further.

"I was the one who started it off, yes," he told reporters. "The drivers are all happy it's gone. They drive the cars, they should know what's wrong and right."

Taking to Twitter yesterday, Nico Rosberg claimed that his simulator work, in preparation for the Russian Grand Prix, and carried out under the new radio rules, felt more "pure".

Ironically, the German's calls for "driving advice" in recent races is thought to have been one of the main reasons for the ban.

"They shouldn't have someone on the pit wall telling them what to do," said Ecclestone. "We have a regulation in force, 'drivers must drive the car alone and unaided'. They have been well and truly aided and still are, even if we get rid of this 'ship to shore', as I call it. There are still a lot of aids they shouldn't have."

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Chris Balfe

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by C5, 20/09/2014 6:30

"Why am I not surprised? Bernie is such an old tosser. Pretty much everything he's done and said the last couple of years is either stupid or wrong. Or, as in this case, both.

I have the hardest time understanding why information received on the radio is an issue. It is up to the driver whether to, and how to, use that information. And any driver who can improve performance based on team information is in my book both intelligent and skilled. Any idiot can drive with their head under the arm. F1 is (or, in my mind, should be) about technology and team effort; and the world champion is the driver who has a great car and a great team, but not necessarily the best of either, and makes the best of that package across a full season. I fail to see that radio communication, no matter what is said, changes that, in fact, if the driver can use that information to maximize his performance, so much more credit to him."

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2. Posted by Burton, 19/09/2014 18:58

"now if only he hit his head somewhere and changed his mind about double points..."

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3. Posted by Oldbuzzard, 18/09/2014 18:33

"I don't care who instigated the move, it should have be done long ago. After all, they are just enforcing a rule already in place. As we head for the day when drivers will sit in air conditioned rooms with a screen and a remote cockpit, "driving" cars with only mannequins at the wheel, I hope to not live to see it and thoroughly enjoy watching F1 drivers actually drive all by themselves."

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4. Posted by Skidmarks, 18/09/2014 16:31

"Even though I know that the teams will find ways round it, I quite like the idea that the driver may be more in control of their destiny.
Now if only we can ditch all these pseudo energy saving measures and get back to racing..."

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5. Posted by kiwi2wheels, 18/09/2014 15:35

"Be interesting to see how long it stays, if half of the field retire and there are multiple safety car yawns to remove all the dead cars ........."

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6. Posted by Tom2681, 18/09/2014 15:06

"Figures..."

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Ecclestone ordered radio clampdown

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