George Russell has disclosed that Mercedes’ health and safety officer has stepped in to protect team staff from the physical strain that drivers endure.
Although the violent bouncing, or porpoising, of the 2022 aerodynamic era has been mitigated, ground-effect forces still make for an uncomfortable ride on some of the bumpier circuits.
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, known for its bumps, has been resurfaced over the winter. This resurfacing aims to reduce discomfort during the current Canadian Grand Prix weekend.
When asked if he preferred newly resurfaced tracks or those with a bumpy character, Russell provided an insightful response.
“I do like the character, to be honest,” Russell said. “But when you spend an hour and 45 minutes in a car that’s this close to the ground,” he illustrated with his thumb and forefinger held close together, “you feel every single bump through your body.”
With a smile, he added, “We have a rig at Mercedes that simulates the bumps we encounter. Our health and safety officer has banned anyone from sitting inside the cockpit because the forces are so extreme.
“To give you some perspective, Lewis and I wanted our engineers and designers to sit in that car and experience what we feel. We wanted them to understand, ‘How’s your back after two hours?’
“As I said, you want the character and the bumps, but when the cars are running this close to the ground and you’re doing 330 kph down the straight, it’s pretty brutal.”
