“It just can’t be sustained any longer.” George Russell did not hide it after the GP of Emilia-Romagna: it is no fun to be at the wheel of the bouncing Silver Arrow at the moment. “My neck and chest are bothering me,” the Briton complained. “The bounce really takes your breath away.”
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton also cannot control the Mercedes car. In Imola he did not get further than 13th place, after 4 races he is already 58 points behind World Cup leader Charles Leclerc.
The Mercedes engineers are therefore desperately looking for a solution to the porpoising problem. Especially on the fast straights, the downforce is so great that the car of Russell and Hamilton bumps around the track.
“Hopefully we will find a solution soon,” said Mercedes engineer Andrew Shovlin. “In Miami we can already change parts that will hopefully show us if we are working in the right direction.”
“We don’t expect to be able to solve it overnight, but hopefully we are on the right path. It will rather be solved in small steps, but we see hopeful signs.”
Should the FIA also come up with changes for the Miami GP? According to Sky Sports, race directors Eduardo Freitas and Niels Wittich have both tested positive for the corona virus. They would therefore not be able to travel to Miami.
Since there is still a chance that one of the two is still negative for the race weekend, the FIA does not want to comment for the time being.
