Lewis Hamilton did not finish happily in Baku, where despite the fourth place – after the abandonment of the Ferraris – it was difficult for him to get out of the car due to severe back pain due to the rebound generated by the ground effect and in which the FIA could mess with the penalty of lowering by 10 millimeters those cars that fail to reduce it. A week later, in Montreal, the seven-time world champion pointed directly to his team: “This car is so bad”.
In the video, the Englishman is seen in the paddock of the German team with a factory in England and champion of the last eight Constructors’ Championships. In a few seconds he summarizes a Friday off the schedule for him on the first day of activity of the Canadian Grand Prix and indicates Mercedes as the most responsible person.
Who until a few months ago was fighting for his eighth title with Max Verstappen, finally champion for the first time, and now sixth is suffering setbacks this season, continued with a 13th place in the second session at the Gilles circuit Villeneuve.
The Brit complained that the car was “not drivable”despite his team having tested a new solution to the “porpoise” problems, which cause a rebound effect in cars when they reach high speeds on the straights, after the International Automobile Federation (FIA) revealed on Thursday a series of measures to reduce short-term rebound and strengthen driver safety.
Among these, the detailed control of the floor drawings of the car and their wear, the setting of a limit to the vertical movements of the single-seaters and a technical meeting with the teams.
This announcement generated mixed views Friday between the drivers, who were torn between Hamilton’s quick welcome, Mercedes teammate George Russell’s “wearing a patch” confrontation, and Verstappen’s rejection of mid-season changes.
A week ago, Hamilton was still joking unlike Montreal. He had said it in Baku he felt lower due to the mistreatment of his spine after the continuous bounce of the car on the street circuit.
Her body reportedly took all week to recover even though she didn’t see a doctor for her many ailments. Instead, he turned to Angela Cullen, his personal physiotherapist, for his recovery, but he cannot rule out the possibility that he and other riders are exposed to potential microconcussions every time they are on the track.
“Decidedly I’ve had more headaches in the past few months, but I haven’t consulted a specialist on this, so I don’t take it too seriously. I’ve only been taking painkillers, so I hope I don’t have concussions, ”Hamilton said on Friday.
He rejected the idea that his condition is worse than those of other pilots because he is 37 years old. “There’s a lot more to catch up and I don’t think travel has anything to do with age. I think it’s usually just because the bruises can be pretty bad,” said Hamilton, insisting that the rebound problem must be faced by the Formula 1 governing body for safety reasons “. Leaving aside the technical question -he reiterated-, I cannot emphasize more the importance of health for us. Safety must be fundamental”.
But the reaction to the changes was different between the 10 teams. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari leader, does not think, for example, that the FIA should intervene. “I feel it’s the team’s responsibility to present me with a car that is good to drive, and I don’t have a particular problem with it. For our part, we find solutions to make it better,” said Leclerc.
Max Verstappen, the reigning F1 champion, is against a technical guideline for the same reason. Red Bull is not facing the same problems as Mercedes.
Mercedes and the teams most affected by the rebound problem have to raise the height of the cars to tackle the problem. “The rebound we have right now isn’t great, and I think it’s not fair, but some teams handle it better than others,” concluded Hamilton, although his new complaint was made public shortly before the ninth GP of the year.
Source: Clarin
