The FIA’s decision to act against the high-speed vertical bounce that this year’s ground effect cars suffer from has not gone down well with Red Bull. Even Max Verstappen downplays his effects on the body, quite the opposite of Lewis Hamilton.
This same week, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) communicated to the teams of the Formula 1 which would start to control the high speed vertical bounce that this year’s ground effect cars are suffering from.
And, although the measures to sanction those who are not able to control this effect that worries several drivers on the grid will not yet be applied in Canada, there have been many reactions in the paddock about it.
As is often said, nor did he quote that Red Bull would be the team that would complain the most, even though the FIA has devised a system to sanction only teams that suffer from this effect intensely. This is not the case with the Anglo-Austrians, but with Mercedes and Ferrari.
Is Max Verstappen aware of what he is saying?
Max Verstappen has been one of the most critical, even going so far as to claim his right to decide if he wants to physically harm himself and underestimate the complaints of his fellow members of the grid.
“Regardless of whether it will help us or work against us, it will never seem right to me that the rules change in the middle of the year”, points out the Dutch pilot. “Of course I understand the safety part, but I think if you talk to all the engineers in the paddock, if you raise your car, you will have fewer problems.
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“Naturally, I think that we ourselves, but also the team, are going to try to find the limit of what your own body can do, for performance. But I don’t think it’s right to have to intervene. If you can’t deal with the bounce, it’s very simple: increase the height and you won’t have those problems.reiterates Max Verstappen, as if ignoring that the FIA will force precisely that to the teams that suffer extreme rebound.
“There are many sports in which I think you damage your body in general. You can always judge if that’s the safest thing to do, but we’re willing to take risks. That’s our sport and that’s what I love to do.”expands the reigning world champion.
“Of course the rebound we have right now is not pretty and I don’t think it’s right. But some teams can handle these things much better than others, so it’s possible to get rid of that. I don’t think we have to overly dramatize what’s going on right now.. We have a lot of smart people in the sport who can get rid of these things », he reiterates.
Lewis Hamilton describes his physical problems
At the other extreme are the Mercedes drivers, who are the ones who suffer the most from the rebound. And, paradoxically, they have the most to lose from a performance standpoint.
The first thing that Lewis Hamilton has done has been to respond to Max Verstappen, ensuring that it is not as simple as lifting the car.
“In the last race, and in previous races, we have lifted the car and we still have rebounds.. It’s more about the flow structure under the car. We drove the car very high for most of the season and it wasn’t until Barcelona that we decided to go a little lower”, explains the seven-time world champion.
“We had no rebounding for the first time in Barcelona, except in the high-speed corners, and then it came back again in Monaco and in Baku, so we had to get the car back up again. But even when we do, this thing still bounces”reiterates a frustrated Lewis Hamilton.
“We can’t go any higher, actually, now we’re limited by the suspension.. So we naturally lose performance, but there is still porpoising caused by disruptive flow under the car.”
The Mercedes driver even hints that some drivers adopt a speech in private meetings, but then say different things in front of the press.
“It’s always interesting to see people’s perspectives and opinions in a different light. Obviously, in public one thing is said and behind the scenes sometimes people say different things»Hamilton points out.
“But ultimately I think safety is the most important thing. I think at least one driver from each team has spoken about it and I don’t think it’s going to change the order too much.”
Aftermath that worries Hamilton
Although Mercedes could be disqualified if it fails to control the porpoising, Lewis Hamilton is pleased that the FIA has been involved in finding solutions.
“It is positive that the FIA is working to improve it because we will have this car for the next few years. So it’s not about dealing with the rebound for the next four years, it’s about completely getting rid of it and fixing it so all of us don’t have back problems in the future.”Explain.
“Right now we finished the races with many more bruises on the body, so it usually takes most of a week to recover. I don’t think that has anything to do with age, I think it’s just because bruising can be quite severe.”
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“It is interesting to listen to other pilots, when you experience 10g on a bump, which is what I experienced in the last race, it’s a very heavy load in the lower and upper part of your neck, ”he denounces.
“In terms of microconcussions, I’ve definitely had a lot more headaches in the last few months. But I haven’t seen specialists, I’m not taking it too seriously. I’ve only been taking painkillers so I haven’t had any concussions.”
It is clear that the FIA is necessary in cases like this, as neither teams nor drivers will be able to agree and put safety before performance.