The Mercedes driver was one of the hardest hit by the porpoising problem during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, having to deal with rebound affecting his car at the end of the long main straight.
Hamilton reported during the race that his back was hurting from the problem, saying afterward that he was “holding on and gritting his teeth” to get to the finish, “praying” it would be over soon.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff called on the FIA to step in and find a solution to the problem, stating that “something is going to have to happen”, given the physical concern expressed by several drivers.
Asked if he feared the pain might force Hamilton to miss the next race in Canada, Wolff replied: “Yes, definitely. I haven’t seen him and I haven’t talked to him afterwards, but it looks like this is no longer a muscle issue.
But this Monday, on his Instagram account, Hamilton updated his physical condition, assuring that although the Baku race was “tough” and he had trouble sleeping tonight, he did not plan to miss the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend.
“The back is a bit sore and bruised, but nothing serious, thankfully,” Lewis Hamilton said.
“I’ve had acupuncture and physical therapy with Ang [Angela Cullen, her physical therapist] and am on my way to meet the team to work with them on getting better.”
“We have to keep fighting. There is no better time than the present to come together, and we will.”
“I’ll be there this weekend, I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I wish you all an amazing day and week.”
Mercedes has been one of the teams that has suffered the most from the porpoising problem this season, which emerged in pre-season testing after the return of ground effect in the new generation of cars.
Baku’s bumpy street circuit, combined with the high-speed main straight, left a number of drivers physically challenged, reigniting the safety debate around porpoising.
Hamilton admitted after the Azerbaijan race that there were “a lot of moments where I didn’t know if I was going to make it” because of the pain, revealing he feared losing control of the car when it bounced.
“I came close to losing him at speed several times,” Hamilton said. “So the battle with the car was intense. And then at the end, the last 10 laps to the checkered flag, I just had to go on the inside thinking, ‘You can do it, you have it. Just be patient.’
