Lewis Hamilton claims that the porpoising issues in W13 aren’t limited to the circuit’s characteristics and is expected to continue in Jeddah.
The Formula 1 contingent is travelling to Saudi Arabia this weekend. The fastest street circuit on the calendar would be hosting its second race. And after its successful debut, a significant excitement is there around it.
Last year, Mercedes took away two podiums from here, including Lewis Hamilton’s win. But with the recent struggles of the world champions, it would be a surprise to have a similar result.
That is what Hamilton says. The seven-time-world champion claims that the porpoising issue of Mercedes is expected to continue in Jeddah until there is some fix.
“It’s definitely not track-specific because we still had the problem in Barcelona,” he told media. “It’s not as bumpy as here, but we still had the problem there. [Bahrain] is a bumpy track, and we’ve had these longer straights.”
“We anticipate that they have much longer straights there in the next race. We will have the same issue unless we fix it. And there’s a huge number of people in the background who are working, incredibly intelligent[ly], around the clock, trying to come up with the right solutions.”
“We don’t often jump the gun – everything’s thoroughly gone through before we make decisions.”
Also read: F1 Saudi Arabian GP 2022: Everything you need to know about the Jeddah Corniche Circuit
Lewis Hamilton wants more downforce
Hamilton was further asked, apart from fixing porpoising, what else area he would like to sharpen. The Briton reveals that he would seek more downforce into the car.
“Ultimately, it’s just downforce; because of this porpoising, we don’t have the downforce that we need,” he commented. “That’s why we can’t get close to the other guys.”
“They’ve got their car in a much better position, and they’re extracting – maybe not all the downforce – but more than we are. Therefore, they’re able to extract more lap time.”
Also read: Toto Wolff highlights weight concerns for the Mercedes and Red Bull cars
