George Russell warns F1 teams about the resurgence of porpoising, urges FIA to revise regulations

Porpoising has returned to plague the Mercedes garage in 2023 after it ruined their 2022 season.

George Russell (Credits: The Independent)

The Spanish Grand Prix proved to be an instrumental morale booster for the Mercedes garage, which witnessed a double podium finish from its drivers. This marks a strong comeback for the Silver Arrows, indicating a sign of things to come. However, the reappearance of aerodynamic porpoising during the race has raised concerns about its potential impact on them for the remainder of the season.

Since the start of the 2022 season, cars on the grid have been plagued by proposing. Mercedes, in particular, was one outfit that struggled to overcome it while the majority of its competitors devised solutions for it. This led to their drivers struggling immensely with drivability. Speaking to RacingNews365.com, George Russell has opinionated about its return.

George Russell said, “I’d say the straight-line bouncing has disappeared. But when you’ve got the ride height so close to the ground, it’s just when the floor edge makes contact with the floor. We’re all pushing these cars to the limit, we’re not just going to raise the car 20mm just to avoid the bouncing because you’d be two seconds off the pace.”

Russell believes it is up to the FIA to rectify this issue in the directives. He said, “It’s a shame to see that we’re 18 months into these regs and still many, many drivers struggling. Some people were saying it needs to change and others who don’t struggle will say ‘no’ and obviously the two quickest cars at the moment don’t really struggle as much as everybody else. Clearly they’re doing something better than the rest, but that’s down to F1 and the FIA to see what can be done.”

Porpoising has been a formidable adversary for the Silver Arrows

The Mercedes W14, (Credits: SI) — The Mercedes W14 (Credits: SI)

During the beginning of the 2022 season, several cars experienced porpoising. This phenomenon caused the cars to bounce during high-speed corners and straights due to a combination of factors such as stiff suspension, floor flexing, and high downforce generated by the diffusers. The bouncing motion posed challenges to the cars’ stability and resulted in back problems for the drivers.

Lewis Hamilton notably suffered discomfort and pain after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2022 due to the intense bouncing experienced on the straights. While regulatory changes have largely addressed the porpoising issue, some teams, including Mercedes, have encountered the problem again at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya during the prior race weekend.

The 2022 Mercedes just had big issues with porpoising. They brought upgrades between Miami and Spain which worked well on a track with a smooth surface and minimal porpoising
— Alfie.Willison (@alfie2649) June 7, 2023

Since the upcoming race in Montreal does not possess high-speed corners, which lead to porpoising, George Russell does not expect it to pose an issue. However, he is preparing for the pain to ensure at tracks like Silverstone and Suzuka. Furthermore, he has emphasized that the FIA and F1 must prioritize driver safety to rid the pinnacle of motorsport of this issue.

Porpoising haunted Mercedes for most of 2022, ruining their season altogether, in a season where they had substandard machinery in comparison with their rivals. Should it return to a large extent in 2023, it will undoubtedly be a big blow to a team looking to battle at the top and make a comeback consistently.