McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo says F1 drivers cannot continue to ‘macho out’ injuries caused by porpoising

F1 drivers cannot continue to’macho out’ injuries caused by porpoising, according to McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, who is concerned that the phenomena could pose long-term health concerns for racers.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday was one of the most physically taxing races in modern history, with drivers bouncing up and down crazily at high speeds on the circuit’s lengthy straights, pushing tremendous loads into their spines.

The effect may be seen in onboard videos of riders’ heads forcefully ricocheting back and forth.

Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, struggled to get out of his car after the Baku race due to the severity of his back pain, while other drivers such as Carlos Sainz have expressed concerns about potential brain damage, and Pierre Gasly has warned the FIA that drivers will need a cane by the age of 30 if nothing is done.

Porpoising is a result of air being pushed rapidly back and forth under the car’s floor for the first time since the 1980s, and is caused by F1’s return to ground effect aerodynamics for the first time since the 1980s.

Ricciardo compared his treatment in the Azerbaijan race to that of a basketball, and expressed sympathy in particular for Mercedes drivers, whose car appeared to be porpoising more than any other.

‘I dread to feel what the others felt because honestly today was bad — I really struggled,’ Ricciardo told The Race after finishing eighth in Baku. ‘It was, simply putting it, painful. It’s unnatural. It’s literally like someone’s bouncing you, like a pro basketball player when they get the ball really low. [Like] being professionally dribbled by [NBA player] Steph Curry or something.

‘It’s definitely not good, and it’s not normal, and I think we do need to do something. George [Russell] and Lewis for example, I know that they have had so much bad porpoising. If they are feeling it worse, which they probably are, I can’t imagine what they are feeling because it was painful [for me].

32-year-old Ricciardo said he felt ‘shook’ by the experience once the race had ended last weekend, and feels something should be done quickly in order to prevent potentially serious long-term damage.

‘Obviously, like the compression, you are sore and you feel like you are kind of getting squeezed, so it’s not good,’ Ricciardo added. I’m stiff now and painful, but also like getting out of the car – and I’m not exaggerating – I just felt shook, a bit rattled.

Ricciardo’s McLaren MCL36 does not suffer from porpoising as badly as some other teams. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

‘So, it’s not a normal thing, and I think also the frequency, this kind of shaking of the brain and the spine, I don’t think it’s good long-term. It’s one of those ones where we don’t want to be naïve or ignorant and just tough it out when there could be some kind of long-term damage.’

The ninth round of the 2022 F1 season will take place this weekend in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix.