Formula 1 | Wolff ‘wants to choke’, Mercedes damages its F1 with porpoising
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Like Aston Martin F1, porpoising continues to poison the life of Mercedes F1.
So much so that the rebounds are damaging the German single-seater… it is this alarming observation that Toto Wolff, the team manager, was able to raise in the Imola paddock today.
“The feedback we get from Lewis and George after the Free is that there is literally no grip and it shows up in the tyres. »
» But that’s not the worst. George bounced around in his car so badly that he snapped the tether on the flat bottom. »
The tether is that part attached to the rear of the car, at the level of the flat bottom, to prevent it from bouncing too much, and which was introduced precisely to prevent the bouncing.
« You can’t drive with it, you have to ease off on the straight. I’ve never experienced a twist like this in my life, but it’s clearly impossible to drive” continues Toto Wolff.
This problem of porpoising prevents – it’s a double penalty – Mercedes from bringing about changes. Especially during this weekend at Imola, where the Sprint race limits free practice to one hour.
« Well, given our situation and where we are with the car, it’s even worse – there’s nothing you can really try. »
“You can’t make changes because free practice is too short. We’ve removed some weight now, but we don’t know if removing weight actually increases porpoising. »
“So I mean, it’s literally hands-on exploration. It’s not at all how we knew F1 before, but it’s our way of doing things. »
In this situation, what can Mercedes expect in this season? Keeping the title in the constructors’ ranking seems illusory. Toto Wolff is not giving up on this horizon just yet but… is rather aiming for the long term in the subtext.
“When you’re optimistic, and I’m rarely optimistic in my assessments…if we’re able to unleash the car’s potential, I think we can fight for the championship. »
« But, at the moment, when you see the gaps – especially today – it seems like a totally unrealistic effort. We just keep on chasing and trying to figure it out. »
“I like to get it wrong, because it means you learn a lot more. »
“Obviously, it’s painful at the time. Certainly, when I see our car, about five seconds off the pace, you feel like choking. »
“But, in fact, I like difficulty and I like being bad because, with time in these regulations, we are going to be good. »
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