Mercedes\’ troubles were clearly visible as the racing team continued to struggle with the proposing issue in Imola. Amidst all the struggles, George Russell managed to finish fourth on Sunday after staring in the 11th spot. Russell has had a strong start to the season. But his team is desperately struggling to stay in the championship battle this year. The Silver Arrows have been the third-fastest car this year after winning the last eight constructors\’ championships in a row. The racing team is currently struggling to keep pace with the frontrunners like Ferrari and Red Bull due to the porpoising issue affecting Mercedes more than any other team across the racing circuit.
Further, George Russell admitted that the violent bouncing inside the Mercedes W13\’s cockpit is taking a physical toll on the drivers. He revealed that the car feels really good to drive and the tires are in the right window except for the violent bouncing. Russell added, \”But the bouncing, it really takes your breath away. It\’s the most extreme I\’ve ever felt it.\”
The young Mercedes driver hopes that Mercedes and all other teams struggling with the violent bouncing will find a solution soon. George feels that it is not sustainable for the drivers to continue like this. George Russell told after the race that it was the first week he had been truely struggling with his back. Moreover, the young Briton experienced some chest pains while racing due to the severity of the bouncing in W13\’s cockpit. It gets tougher for the drivers inside W13 to bear the effects of bouncing during the fastest laps. Hamilton has struggled the most with the porpoising as he finished 13th in the Emilian Romagna GP.
Toto Wolff Feels Mercedes Needs Quick Improvements To Stay In The Championship Hunt:
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff spoke after the race in Imola. He revealed that Mercedes must find quick improvements to get back into the hunt for the 2022 championship title. Mercedes\’ lead driver Hamilton had a poor run in Imola, where he could not finish better than the 13th position and earned zero points. Toto said that it was a really bad outcome for Hamilton as he got squeezed by other racers and had no chance of overtaking the DRS train. The Mercedes boss feels that his team is not good enough for a world championship and needs to fix the W13 quickly.
Further, Wolff acknowledged what George Russell did in the first lap, allowing him to stay in the top-5. Russell started eleventh and quickly reached the sixth spot. That allowed him some breathing space. Unlike Hamilton, who was stuck behind Alpha Tauri\’s driver for most of the race. Moreover, Toto shared that Mercedes will try to understand their car better and bring essential developments to fix the bouncing issue before the upcoming race in Miami scheduled on May 9, 2022.