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“It has the potential to be a real safety concern if it gets out of control”: George Russell calls for a return of banned technology to counter the 2022 F1 cars’ porpoising problems

Somin Bhattacharjee
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"It’s a very different car to the previous era"– George Russell admits Mercedes 2022 car needs some significant improvements

Mercedes’ George Russell wants a return of banned technology to counter the ‘porpoising’ problems faced by the 2022 F1 cars. 

The first pre-season testing of 2022 in Barcelona introduced F1 fans to a new word. The term ‘porpoising‘ was used to describe Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, as it was bouncing up and down, when going flat out on the straights.

As F1 enters a new era, the way the cars are designed have been drastically altered. Most of the downforce is generated by the airflow under the car. As a result, the cars are pulled towards the ground when at higher speeds. This leads to the cars bouncing, or ‘porpoising’ down the straights.

This is a problem that almost all F1 teams had to encounter during testing. McLaren on the other hand, didn’t face these issues. The Surrey based outfit however, insist they have ‘no clear explanation’ as to why they didn’t.

George Russell, who joined Mercedes ahead of the upcoming campaign, expects this to be serious problem. He is wary of the fact that it could be a safety concern when drivers go flat out.

“I think it has the potential to be a real safety concern if it gets out of control,” said Russell. “If you’re flat out down the straight and it starts to happen, you don’t want to back off in a race scenario.”

Also read: Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto contradicts Lewis Hamilton over latter’s Barcelona testing statement

Active suspension must be brought back to Formula 1, says George Russell

Active suspension was a feature most F1 teams used till the 1993 season. Among many things, it allowed them to change the configuration of their cars’ height. However, ahead of the 1994 season, it’s use became illegal and it hasn’t made a return to the sport ever since.

Russell feels that having active suspension back today, would solve the porpoising issues instantly. He also added that the cars would be a lot faster, something which every driver and team would prefer.

The 23-year old admitted that the solution he presented will likely not be followed. He remains confident that ahead of the next pre-season test in Bahrain, all teams will come up with an answer to these issues.

“I guess if active suspension was there that could be solved with the click of your fingers,” the Mercedes driver said. “The cars would naturally be a hell of a lot faster if we had that. And I’m sure all the teams are capable of that. That could be one for the future.

“But let’s see in Bahrain. I’m sure the teams will come up with some smart ideas around this issue,” he added.

Also read: Guanyu Zhou quotes Chinese NBA player as an inspiration to imprint F1 culture in China

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

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