Martin Brundle urges Mercedes to not rely on rule change to solve porpoising problem

The bouncing issues plaguing the W13 car reached a nadir at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

(AFP via Getty Images)

Mercedes are battling ongoing problems with their car this season and ex F1 driver Martin Brundle has warned them against relying on a change in regulations to solve their issues.

Since new rules were introduced at the start of the 2022 F1 season, Mercedes’ W13 has been badly affected by porposiing and bouncing issues - with things appearing to reach a nadir at last weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton described the race as the “most painful” of his career, as he visibly suffered from back pain that had put his participation in this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix in doubt, although he has since confirmed he will be fit to race.

The seven-time world champion did battle to fourth place in Baku - stating that adrenaline was all that allowed him to finish - while teammate George Russell, who fought his way on to the podium, has said that wider conversations must be had about porpoising.

Mercedes are far from the only team affected by the bouncing but they are the worst hit and given that the issue isn’t universal, Brundle sees no reason why other teams would vote for a regulation change.

“If it was something that was affecting everybody, then yes, [the regulations should change] on the grounds of safety, but you can see that some cars are absolutely fine, and others are struggling,” Brundle told Sky Sports News.

“Therefore, I think the emphasis is on the team to sort it out as opposed to changing the regulations. It’s something that they’re struggling with, it’s not something that our drivers are complaining about.

“I think it would be unfair if there was a change just because they’ve missed the target.”

(AFP via Getty Images)

Mercedes are clearly inferior to both Red Bull and Ferrari this season but Hamilton and Russell have put in a number of impressive performances despite the sub-optimal circumstances.

The porposing issue could be fixed by raising the car, but that would come at the cost of pace, and Brundle is surprised they haven’t managed to unlock the full potential of the W13 just yet.

“The teams that have got it sorted are clearly saying that’s Mercedes’ problem and it’s not Formula 1’s problem,” he added. “There’s no doubt about it, it looks particularly uncomfortable.

“Of course, [Mercedes] can fix it by raising the car but then they lose a huge amount of performance.

“So, they need to get the car low, stiff on the suspension and stiff on the side wall of the new tyres as well, and they’ve had to sacrifice comfort for performance.

“What’s surprising, really, is that Mercedes just can’t seem to get a handle on what looks like, actually, quite an excellent car, if they could just unlock it.”