Radio communications are set to enter MotoGP as early as 2025. Dorna has been experimenting with the system with some riders for three years now, and two-way communication between rider and box was also tested in the recent tests at Misano. After the tests on the Italian circuit, a meeting was organised with the top-class teams to inform them that one-way communication will make its race debut next season.
This means that the drivers will only be able to receive audio messages from Race Direction, so it will be a means of promptly warning the drivers of dangerous situations. 2025 will therefore be a test season, to then improve the system in the future. To best prepare, a race test is scheduled for the last GP of 2024, in Valencia.
The innovation has divided the MotoGP protagonists: Aleix Espargarò said he was enthusiastic about it, Pecco Bagnaia is among its most fervent detractors (“rather than use it, I will pay a fine at every GP”), Marc Marquez has put a good face on a bad situation (“I’m in favor of it for the show, but not for the essence of our sport”).
As mentioned, for now it will only be a matter of receiving messages, there will be no dialogue between drivers and pits as we have been used to hearing for a long time in Formula 1, but that is the final objective.
When will it happen? It will depend a lot on the technology used and the investments. The tests in Misano were not a success, the only one to promote them was Espargarò, but the other riders involved – including Quartararo – explained that it is difficult to hear.
The author was able to listen to an audio of the experiment and the pilot complained that he could hear the voice of his technician, but could not distinguish the words.
Bone conduction headphones are used for radio communications: these special earphones emit small vibrations on the bones of the jaw and mandible, which are then transmitted to the ear, which is free to hear the surrounding sounds (it is not ‘blocked’ as in normal earphones). All well and good when you are stopped in the pits, but on the track, the MotoGP bikes drown out all other sounds.
Furthermore, for the system to work at its best, antennas for transmission must be placed along the track, which means mounting them and mounting them for each GP. The technology exists, but you have to understand how much you are willing to spend to get the best result.
The MotoGP audio revolution has already begun, it is unlikely to stop.
