Porpoising is perhaps the most repeated word of the 2022 Formula 1 season, and it is that all the teams have reported problems with this tedious rebound in the cars. The new rules have seen cars welcome ground effect after several decades, and from the start of winter testing, the entire paddock has been searching for solutions.
The teams thought that after eight races they would have found the answer, but the reality is that at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, some cars suffered more than ever. In addition to back problems that endanger Lewis Hamilton’s presence at the next round in Canada, more drivers faced porpoising as best they could, and one of them was Daniel Ricciardo.
The Australian from McLaren could not go beyond eighth place, and although he overtook his teammate, Lando Norris, the MCL36 was very rebellious with this rebound effect: “I’m afraid to feel what others feel because, honestly, Today was very bad.”
“It cost me a lot of work, it was painful,” explained the pilot of the Woking team. “It hurts, but I guess because it’s unnatural, it’s like a pro basketball player dribbling you when he gets the ball low and dribbles.”
“It’s like being haggled over by Stephen Curry or something, so it’s not good or normal, and I think we have to do something, especially from what they’ve said from Mercedes with Lewis [Hamilton] and George [Russell]. I know that They’ve had a lot of porpoising , if they’re noticing it worse, which they probably are, I can’t imagine what they’re going through, because it was painful.”
Some studies involving other sports have shown that repeated blows to the head can cause secondary health effects, and this is something that pilots are very concerned about.
“Yeah, absolutely [I’m concerned], you’re sore and you feel like you’re kind of tight,” Ricciardo said. “It’s not good, I’m kind of stiff now and it hurts, but I’m not exaggerating, I felt dizzy, it’s not normal. I think it’s also because of the frequency.”
“This kind of movement of the brain and spine, I don’t think it’s good in the long run. I know George has been very upfront about it, obviously they’ve suffered a lot, and I sympathize 100% with him,” Ricciardo said. .
Asked if it was “manly” to put up with this pain, the Australian replied: “There are potholes here and high speed so maybe it’s worse. It’s not about being tired, you feel fatigued because it’s like getting hit. “.
“I think we can be macho, if we want to put it that way, we all finish the race, so yeah, we can hang on, but it might be one of those things that, in two years, we find out if it’s been bad for the brain or the spine. “Insisted the McLaren.
“It’s one of those things where we don’t want to be naive or ignorant and just hang on when there could be some kind of long-term damage,” Daniel Ricciardo said after beating his teammate for the third time this season.
