Las pictures of Lewis Hamilton, getting up from the car completely sore and swollen, after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, they went around the world. The heptacampen is already talking about a security problem and in the competition, in Red Bull is quizzical about what they will do if they had this problem, fearing the maneuver. They even know politics too well.
Is there an intention to convince the FIA that massive bouncing or “porpoising” is a real danger to drivers and the integrity of others?. Hamilton dismissed that theory at Sunday’s press conference in Bak. “The battle with the car was intense. It bounced around so much that there were times when I almost hit the wall, so that was a concern, safety-wise.” assured.
“At 320 km/h, and seeing that he hit the wall… I don’t think I had to think about it too much as a racing driver,” he added.
Hamilton believes that the W13 will be difficult to unlock in its development if a solution to the rebound problem is not found. “There’s a lot of potential in this car, but we can’t unlock it until we stop that rebound. I would do everything to ensure that this does not happen again”, wishes the Briton.
Is this a request to modify the technical regulations on the ground or to set a mandatory minimum height for everyone? We know that the rebound has a solution, which is increase the distance from the ground to the car, what happens is that the technicians don’t want to and the pilots assume it, because the efficiency of the car and its cornering would drop. At the moment there are teams that have solved it, like Red Bull, being very fast, a Solomonic solution would only hurt those who worked better, it would be unfair.
Porpoising does not affect everyone, only a few and the easiest way is to lift the car to avoid it”
Horner and his theory
Red Bull sporting director Christian Horner spoke on the matter after the race. He pulled the irony and discussed what he would do if he had the Mercedes and Hamilton problem. What they seem to do…
“If I was your team leader, I would tell you to complain on the radio as much as possible, to make a big deal out of it, that’s part of the game. We know it’s uncomfortable, but there are remedies to put an end to it, even if it affects the performance of the car. The easiest way, as we already know, is to file a complaint for security reasons, each team has a choice. If this was a security issue that affects the entire network, it would be something we should all look into together. Of course, this only affects certain drivers or teams, it is a problem that everyone has to deal with. The easiest way is to lift the car, everyone has the possibility to do it”, explains the boss of Verstappen and Checo, fearing a turn of events.
2013 tire change
Horner knows this well because, In 2013, Pirelli changed its carcasses and its bonding system because they were disintegrating, while Ferrari made them last and won races, such as the one in Barcelona with Alonso, which emerged as the leader in this test. The Red Bull coach, as well as Lauda (Mercedes) Hambery (Pirelli) and Bernie Ecclestone, in addition to Charlie Whiting, were able to agree behind Ferrari’s back on a change that upset the championship. Ferrari no longer won and Grosjean achieved 9 podiums with the Lotus and the new tyres. The memory is very selective for some, but the data sticks and what happened was known to almost the entire paddock.
Asking teams to change cars to help Mercedes is like asking a turkey to vote for Christmas.”
Brundle, against change
Whether or not there is a change in 2022 we will see, but that would be completely unfair, as it was in 2013. Mercedes may have launched a tactic and from the English lobby, with commentators like Martin Brundle, is also detected and manifested against. “Asking other teams to change the rules to help Mercedes is like asking a turkey to vote for Christmas. I don’t underestimate what George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are going through, because it seems particularly painful,” he conceded.
“O If you see the Ferrari drivers in some crucial braking areas, I find them really difficult to control. Honestly, I don’t know how they get around the corners.” he recognizes that other teams can drive with this problem and get six pole positions and two wins so far. Mercedes’ complaints do not tire the ex-driver.
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