Mercedes boss has warned FIA of risking an NFL-like situation by not taking any actions on the porpoising problems in the 2022 cars.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has repeatedly brought the attention of the FIA to the bouncing problems in the 2022 cars.
With the Mercedes being the car most affected by the porpoising problem, some teams questioned whether it is genuinely a safety matter or just some teams trying to gain a competitive advantage from the rule change.
Recently, FIA announced that it would be introducing new limits on how much bounce cars can endure from the next race in Belgium. This would further bring regulation changes for 2023.
Wolff pointed out that the FIA could not ignore the data revealing the health and safety dangers the phenomenon poses for drivers.
The $540 Million worth man brought to attention the research done on American football players relating to head injuries after repetitive impacts throughout their careers.
“We have, and FIA has, you can ask them, medical analysis, that frequencies of one or two hertz over several minutes can lead to long-term brain damage. We have six to seven hertz over several hours,” he said.
Wolff said that the FIA has just no option but to do something. And called teams lobbying for it or against it completely irrelevant.
“It’s a medical question that needs to be answered. These reports are a reality and a fact. I don’t think that the gang around the FIA will let themselves be manipulated in either direction.”
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FIA doesn’t want an NFL situation
The GDPA also gave their input on the matter in an anonymous form. Wolff said that the doctors and specialists have been consulting with the drivers, and the result is that it’s not good for long-term effects.
“The FIA says it doesn’t want to have an NFL situation,” he added.
The @FiA‘s Driver Contract Recognition Board (CRB) was set up to deal with contract priority issues between drivers and @F1 teams. That’s why we rely on their decision to resolve any conflict.
— Mohammed Ben Sulayem (@Ben_Sulayem) August 11, 2022
Earlier this week, the FIA president tweeted that the updated technical regulations for 2023 had been sent to the World Motor Sport Council. However, it is unclear if any agreement has been reached with the teams concerning the floor changes.
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