Mercedes star George Russell has welcomed the FIA’s decision to tackle porpoising after his teammate Lewis Hamilton struggled with severe back pain at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion struggled with major back discomfort in Baku last weekend, with the Brit struggling to exit his car as he was in visible physical pain after finishing P4. Hamilton’s injury largely came about due to his Mercedes W13’s porpoising.
The octuple world champions have struggled with severe porpoising as their cars have been bouncing uncontrollably following the new regulations and car designs implemented for the 2022 season. The porpoising issues have plagued the early rounds of the 2022 season for Mercedes, as neither Hamilton nor teammate Russell have been able to truly compete with the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull due to the uncontrollable rattling of their car.
Hamilton is not the only driver on the grid struggling with porpoising, and teammate Russell declared it is only a matter of time before the bouncing caused an accident as drivers are disorientated and struggle to see where they are going. The FIA responded by insisting they will investigate the cause of why this generation’s cars are bouncing so violently at top speed.
The consequences of the governing body’s investigation could spell bad news for the Silver Arrows though, as the FIA may opt to impose stricter rules regarding driver safety that inadvertently slow their car. The FIA could set a limit on ride height, which would mean Mercedes would potentially be forced to increase the height of their cars - and lose plenty of their intended aerodynamic advantage.
A lower speed would be very much undesired as Mercedes battle Ferrari and Red Bull, with their rivals proving to be faster in 2022, but Russell is adamant that change is necessary even if it hinders the Silver Arrows’ chances of victory this season. When asked by Sky Sports if the alterations could affect the reigning Constructors’ champions, Russell said: “I think everyone thinks this is something Mercedes is pushing for, but from a pure performance side of things, we don't really want change.
“Because if there's change you never know if it's going to go for you or against you. We, as drivers, have spoken about this, that we want change moving forward because what we went through last weekend wasn't sustainable.
“It doesn't matter what boat you're in. You're either porpoising and you're hitting the ground or you have no porpoising so you're running the car very close to the ground and you're bottoming. Either way you look at it, it's not great
“I think it's promising to see that they've taken action on this straight away. It's not taken them months and weeks and political decisions to change something like that. When it comes to safety, things need to be resolved ASAP. I think it's good for everyone.”
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Russell’s comments regarding porpoising come after Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, spoke of their desire to ‘intervene’ and ensure each team makes the necessary changes to combat porpoising. The body are doing so in the interests of driver safety, and they added in a statement: “In a sport where the competitors are routinely driving at speeds in excess of 300km/h (186 mph), it is considered that all of a driver's concentration needs to be focused on that task and that excessive fatigue or pain experienced by a driver could have significant consequences should it result in a loss of concentration.
“In addition, the FIA has concerns in relation to the immediate physical impact on the health of the drivers, a number of whom have reported back pain following recent events.”
Russell has finished in the top five of each of the opening seven races of the season so far, and is not only the sole driver to achieve such a feat, but the Brit is also the only driver on the grid to finish every race inside the points. The 24-year-old has outclassed Hamilton at most races in 2022 and is leading the qualifying head-to-head 5-3 while he is 7-1 ahead of the 37-year-old in race finishes after only losing to him at the opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
The 22-race F1 2022 campaign continues with the Canadian Grand Prix around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 19.
