Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen has fired a shot at rival Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes by suggesting they are attempting to force the FIA into making a rule change to combat porpoising.
At the Canadian Grand Prix, the FIA introduced a new technical directive in an attempt to eradicate the phenomenon of porpoising that has taken hold of the sport in 2022. The porpoising issues have plagued the early rounds of the 2022 season for Mercedes, as neither Hamilton nor teammate George Russell have been able to truly compete with the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull due to the uncontrollable rattling of their car.
Despite the issues which Mercedes appear to have no answer for, Hamilton crossed the line in third to secure his second podium finish of the season. After a decade of dominance, fans have found it particularly perplexing to see the 37-year-old struggle in 2022 - but it has been largely attributed to the porpoising phenomenon which has affected the grid in 2022.
The sport’s governing body decided to implement the new technical directive following comments by Russell and Hamilton, with the seven-time world champion requiring cryotherapy and acupuncture to compete. Hamilton was also seen in immense pain leaving the cockpit of his W13 due to the pain.
The technical directive became the target of rivals who felt the timing of its introduction was to benefit Mercedes, who were the only team that took an extra floor to Montreal. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc admitted he didn’t agree with the new ruling and his title rival Verstappen agreed, poking fun at Mercedes’ issues on the Barstool Sports podcast Pardon My Take.
“Quite a few cars on the straight are [porpoising], especially that beautiful grey car, going like that [simulating a bouncing motion],” the Dutchman said. “Basically, with these new regulations, because we are generating the downforce also more from the floor, what happens is because the downforce sucks to the floor and [there is] a certain stall under the floor, it [the car] goes up and down because it keeps sucking, then it stalls, it goes up and tries to suck down again.
Do you think the FIA's new rules were to aid Mercedes amid their struggles in 2022? Let us know in the comments section.
“Some teams have that more under control than others and when that happens at 300kph, it can be painful for some, if it is really aggressive. Of course, especially one team has been moaning about it a lot so that is why now they will try to investigate or try to understand how we can limit these kinds of things.”
Despite Hamilton and AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly both suffering physically from bouncing in Azerbaijan, the new rules were met with a lukewarm reception around the paddock as rival teams and drivers believe the change is simply to benefit Mercedes. Leclerc gave his thoughts on the matter, saying: “I don't completely agree [with the intervention], on my side.
“I felt like it’s the team's responsibility to give me a car that is okay to drive. Until now, I didn’t have any particular problems with it.
“Yes, it is stiffer than last year's car. Whether it's undriveable or very hard on myself, I don't think it is – at least personally. So, on our side, we found solutions to how to make it better."
The 22-race F1 2022 campaign continues with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 3.
