Porpoising . Perhaps that is the most repeated word in the paddock due to the headaches it is causing teams and drivers due to the rebound effect it causes in the new generation cars.
Formula 1 decided to enter a totally different era, modifying the regulations to create a category with more emotion, overtaking and battles on the track, something that meant simplifying the aerodynamics and returning to the famous ground effect.
Since the winter tests at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, this curious movement that made the cars oscillate up and down caught everyone’s attention, and it was not seen as a serious problem until it was discovered that it affected the lap time .
The teams, to solve or, at least, reduce the effect, make adjustments to the suspensions and heights of the cars, making the car bounce less, but that translates into loss of tenths, the key in a sport where winning thousandths counts .
In addition, oscillating on the straights poses a danger to the driver, as their eyes cannot fix the reference points well under braking, making it almost impossible to have a clear view of how they are approaching a curve at more than 300 km . /h .
However, there is something hidden and that very few have stopped to think about. If we said that porpoising represented a headache for Formula 1, but more than for the category in general, it could be for the drivers in the long term.
The aggressive movement of the head so repeatedly can cause those who get into a car at these speeds to suffer irreversible mental illness, something that happens in other sports that have little to do with motor racing.
One of the clearest examples is in soccer , where a player constantly uses his head to hit the ball. Making an object collide with this exposed part causes the brain to suffer, and a lot.
In a study carried out by the Department of Neuropathology at the University of Glasgow , the risk of neurodegenerative problems was found to be higher in soccer players, who had spent a lifetime using their heads to spike the ball.
The risk of suffering from some type of fatal mental illness increases 3.5 times, and is up to 5 times higher if it is dementia or Alzheimer’s, as indicated by research.
“With very small but very numerous strokes, and over a very long period, brain damage is caused, making the person susceptible to developing a disorder such as Alzheimer’s,” said Dr. Christopher Morris , a professor at this Scottish institution.
For this reason, in England, the federation has prohibited players under the age of 12 from hitting the ball to minimize risks. It is not for less, since they have at home one of the best examples to take care of the health of athletes.
That country was proclaimed world champion in 1966 , with a unique generation of footballers, among which, among others, Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore, Gordon Banks and Martin Peters stood out. The squad made up of 22 players beat Germany 4-2 at the legendary Wembley Stadium, but the “senile curse” took hold of them.
Of the group of members of that campus, up to 7 suffered neurodegenerative diseases that would cause their deaths. It is true that at that time the balls were much heavier, but it is a clear example of the influence that mental health care has had on sport.
It is not the only case in which blows can cause very serious illnesses or mishaps for athletes, since American football is clearly one of the most dangerous.
In the NFL , the league par excellence of this sport, 32 teams compete each year to win the well-known Super Bowl, but in its more than 100-year history, the nearly 45 members of each squad have suffered many physical setbacks.
Only in the period of two regular seasons, between 2012 and 2014, the data provided by the University of Texas, reveals that of the 4,381 total injuries, 301 were concussions, something that has increased 61% since the whole of 2002 to 2007.
Other research shows that an NFL player who plays 24 games a year is 16% more likely to suffer a premature death, in addition to the fact that it was discovered in 2012, thanks to another study of 3,439 players with at least five years. in the league, that this group had three times the risk of developing neurodegenerative deaths than the general population of the United States.
In addition, the risk of Alzheimer’s or Loy Gehrig ‘s (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS) was four times higher, while the chances of developing depression or dementia with concussions increased.
And of course, although it is more extreme, we could mention boxing, where in the long term there are serious sequelae in athletes after years of impacts to the head.
Thus, with the rebound of porpoising in the heads of the drivers, the engineers and Formula 1 in general should be concerned about the health of those who risk their lives on the track. It’s no longer just about dodging death around every corner, despite today’s great security measures, but these kinds of things that are less taken into account could become much more serious over time.
