George Russell backs F1’s decision to ‘reduce or eliminate’ porpoising on medical grounds

George Russell has welcomed the FIA’s decision to ‘reduce or eliminate’ porpoising after Lewis Hamilton suffered with severe back pain in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. 

The 24-year-old went on to say the ‘adjustments’ are necessary even if it impact’s Mercedes chances of catching Red Bull this season.

When asked by Sky Sports if the adaptations could affect the reigning Constructors’ champions, Russell said: ‘I think everyone thinks this is something Mercedes is pushing for, but from a pure performance side of things, we don’t really want change. 

‘Because if there’s change you never know if it’s going to go for you or against you. We, as drivers, have spoken about this, that we want change moving forward because what we went through last weekend wasn’t sustainable. 

George Russell has welcomed the FIA’s decision to ‘reduce or eliminate’ porpoising

Lewis Hamilton (above) grimaced in pain as he struggled to get out of his car in Baku

‘It doesn’t matter what boat you’re in. You’re either porpoising and you’re hitting the ground or you have no porpoising so you’re running the car very close to the ground and you’re bottoming. Either way you look at it, it’s not great.

‘I think it’s promising to see that they’ve taken action on this straight away. It’s not taken them months and weeks and political decisions to change something like that. When it comes to safety, things need to be resolved ASAP. I think it’s good for everyone.’

Russell’s comments come shortly after Formula One’s governing body released the following statement: ‘The FIA, as the governing body of the sport, has decided that, in the interests of safety, it is necessary to intervene to require that the teams make the necessary adjustments to reduce or to eliminate this phenomenon [of porpoising]. 

The 24-year-old went on to say the ‘adjustments’ are necessary even if it impact’s Mercedes chances of catching Red Bull this season

‘The FIA has decided to intervene following consultation with its doctors in the interests of safety of the drivers.

‘In a sport where the competitors are routinely driving at speeds in excess of 300km/h (186 mph), it is considered that all of a driver’s concentration needs to be focused on that task and that excessive fatigue or pain experienced by a driver could have significant consequences should it result in a loss of concentration.

‘In addition, the FIA has concerns in relation to the immediate physical impact on the health of the drivers, a number of whom have reported back pain following recent events.’