The FIA is set to introduce new limits on how much cars can bounce from the upcoming Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix ahead of planned rule changes for the 2023 season. The aim is to curb porpoising , with several drivers and teams have highlighted potential security and physical integrity issues in the future.
However, in the paddock there is talk that the modifications come due to pressure from certain people, and the international federation defends itself by explaining that it is a change for the sake of safety, something they can do without the consent of the teams. if they consider it necessary.
The boss of Mercedes, Toto Wolff , has seen that his team has suffered a lot with the rebound since the start of the campaign, especially in Baku, where they came to doubt the health of Lewis Hamilton, who suffered a lot of back pain at the end of the campaign. the race.
The Silver Arrows manager warned the FIA that they could not ignore data pointing to possible dangers from porpoising , citing medical research done on American football players regarding head injuries after repeated impacts. throughout their trajectories.
“It’s very simple, we’ve always said we can do nothing, or do the right thing,” Wolff told Motorsport.com in an interview. “We have, and the FIA has, you can ask them, medical tests, where frequencies of one or two hertz for several minutes can cause long-term brain damage, and we hold six to seven hertz for several hours.”
“The FIA has no choice but to do something, and I think they should try to fix it, and whether the teams push for or against it is completely irrelevant,” he said. “It’s a medical issue that needs to be addressed.”
“These reports are a reality, I don’t think those around the FIA will allow themselves to be manipulated in any direction,” the Mercedes boss said. “The GPDA [Drivers Association] gave their explanations, the drivers have given their opinion anonymously, the competent specialists have consulted, and the result is that it is not good in the long term.
“The FIA says they don’t want to have something like the NFL,” Toto Wolff said.
The president of the FIA, Mohammed ben Sulayem , wrote on his official Twitter account that they already had the new 2023 technical regulations prepared, and they only needed approval at the World Motor Sport Council, although it is unknown if the teams have arrived. to an agreement on the changes in the floor of the cars.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner said in France that the “pressure” to change the 2023 rules was to help a “certain team”, hinting that it was Mercedes.
However, Wolff said that he saw the impetus for changing the rules “very differently” from what happened in previous seasons, and that the recent improvement of the Silver Arrows is not a reason to give up what they have defended in their previous seasons. statements to support the modification of the technical regulation for the sake of safety.
“You could say today, it seems we have understood our car, we have pole position, let’s not change anything,” Wolff said at the last round in Hungary. “It’s irrelevant, because it’s about the frequency of bounces, and that’s bad for the drivers.”
“We don’t understand, we can’t even relate to anything what movement is inside those cars. Have we and the other teams managed to catch up? Maybe, or maybe not, we haven’t been on a track that rebounds.” Wolf continued.
“Do we need to have some measures for next year? Yes, sure,” concluded the head of Mercedes.
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