In 2022, with the new regulations, porpoising became a massive issue with almost teams. Daniel Ricciardo, who served for Mclaren last year, also became a victim. For him, the issue peaked during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
His car not only struggled as he came P8 with his MCL36, but his car bounced excessively on the street circuit. He revealed after the race that he was in absolute pain and was dreading what his contemporaries felt.
Ricciardo was not the only one who felt similarly. Mercedes appeared to be the biggest victim of porpoising, with both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton even warning about the neurological damage they could potentially obtain due to the excessive bouncing.
Daniel Ricciardo compared porpoising to Stephen Curry dribbling
To shed some light on his struggles, Ricciardo compared porpoising with the exquisite dribbling of Stephen Curry. The illustrative example gave an accurate picture to the media about what the drivers were going through during that phase.
“It was, simply putting it, painful. It’s painful–but I guess like, unnatural. It’s literally like someone’s bouncing you like that, like a pro basketball player, when they get the ball really low. [It was like] being dribbled, being professionally dribbled by [NBA player] Stephen Curry or something,” said Ricciardo.
Ultimately, FIA released two directives aiming at both long-term and short-term solutions. The governing body mandated that in case of excessive bouncing in 2022, teams must raise the minimum height of their floor. If not followed, they’ll risk disqualification.
That ultimately helped but also came with a performative cost to the teams running on low rakes. But it was worth making the sacrifice for drivers’ safety. On the other hand, for 2023, FIA made floor regulations changes that would solve the problem for all teams.
No seat for the Australian race driver
For Ricciardo, the two years at Mclaren were haunting. Though he had some flashes of brilliance, in the general picture, he struggled to bring in consistent positive results for the team. Therefore, for 2023, both parties decided to part ways, with Ricciardo receiving handsome compensation.
Nevertheless, Ricciardo admitted that he wasn’t keen on continuing in 2023 by highlighting the issue of mental exhaustion. Therefore, he concluded in 2023, avoiding racing and taking a hiatus was better.
Sorry everyone but it’s missing Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel hour 💔 pic.twitter.com/qG6dJoW2Uw
— Farina #DannyRic2024 (@namedafterflour) February 15, 2023
But at the same time, he didn’t want to stay away from Formula 1 absolutely. He signed up for the third driver role at Red Bull and, simultaneously, would be deciding on his motorsport career for 2024.
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