At the Canadian Grand Prix, Mercedes looked competitive, finishing third and fourth. According to Toto Wolff, the weekend showed that the porpoising problem is now mainly solved, he revealed to Autosport.com.
The team boss indicates that Mercedes' problems are now mainly caused by a car that is too stiff. In terms of porpoising, the team is now on par with its rivals, Wolff believes.
The stiffness of the car is especially noticeable when the drivers fly over the kerbs. According to Wolff, this impact needs to be reduced, something that can be done by lowering the kerbs and making the track smoother. Yet Mercedes will also have to look at its own car, as it seems that the low floor of the W13 also causes lower performance.
Controversy surrounding porpoising
Following complaints from Lewis Hamilton and George Russell about the physical pain and potentially dangerous situation, the FIA has indicated it will come up with a solution. On Thursday in Canada the FIA came up with a new floor bar as a possible aid against porpoising, but Mercedes apparently already had it ready. There was a lot of criticism from Helmut Marko and Mattia Binotto among others about the 'technical directives' of the FIA.
This coming week the FIA will have another discussion with the teams and drivers about the porpoising problem. The conversation in Canada caused disagreement between the teams, causing a furious Wolff to leave the meeting. Whether Mercedes has actually solved the problem will be seen at Silverstone. Lewis Hamilton is in any case not yet reassured.
