Seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton’s start-of-the-season nightmare has made a return during the final race of the season. This nightmare is called porpoising.
Abu Dhabi is the final Grand Prix of an eventful 2022 season calendar. Ferrari started strong against Red Bull while Mercedes struggled during the middle of the season.
Besides, Mercedes could not compete mainly due to the porpoising issue making the car bounce on a high-speed straight. This affected their pace and the drivers’ mentally and physically as well.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell both had back and chest pains due to the car bouncing on the track. It did affect the health of both drivers.
Mercedes’ rollercoaster ride throughout the 2022 season
Things took a positive turn for Mercedes after they gained a moment in their quest to compete with the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari. Moreover, in the previous race at Interlagos, they had their work cut out.
George Russell secured a victory while Lewis Hamilton finished second securing a front grid lockout. However, things are not the same at the Yas Marina Circuit.
The 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix winner could only qualify sixth while teammate Hamilton qualified fifth. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen stood supreme with 0.6 seconds of difference for the pole position.
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Lewis Hamilton on porpoising returning at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Mercedes were competitive during the practice session and it looked like they would secure a second successive pole position. However, the porpoising and brake issues are not helping the team.
Hamilton admitted that porpoising is back and is the major reason behind the team losing pace and time on the track. Another reason is the brake temperature and disk while turning the cars on the corners.
The German team who are 19 points behind Ferrari for the constructor’s championship will be looking for maximum points. They would strongly like to finish the season on a high note with a victory and a podium finish to their name.
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