No support from Norris for Mercedes: 'They have to solve it themselves'

13:43, 13 Jun 2022
8 Comments

Although the FIA has let it be known that it is taking Mercedes' criticism of porpoising seriously and is starting an investigation, there seems to be little support for the German team. Lando Norris also has little sympathy for the world champions and thinks the team should solve the problem themselves.

Norris has no problems with porpoising

Talking to F1TV, Norris reveals that he has no problems with porpoising. "We have some porpoising and some bouncing, but it's what you have to deal with. I love it at the moment, I'm not complaining," said the McLaren driver. Norris finished ninth in Baku, just behind his teammate, while Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished third and fourth.

McLaren also experienced problems with porpoising at the beginning of the season, but things improved after the updates introduced in Barcelona. At Mercedes, the problems seem to be mainly due to the Mercedes driving very close to the ground in order to generate more downforce.

Mercedes must solve problems themselves

Toto Wolff believes that the FIA should make changes to the regulations, because the porpoising would cause damage to the drivers. Hamilton complained of a sore back after the race in Baku and even had difficulty getting out of his car. Norris doesn't seem particularly impressed with Mercedes' criticism. He thinks Mercedes could reduce the bouncing considerably with a stiffer floor and higher ride height, but that it would be at the expense of speed.

"They obviously don't want to sacrifice performance," Norris reveals. "I don't think it's something to complain about, they just have to find ways to solve it themselves." The British driver also sees it at McLaren, which did manage to solve the problems. "We could also achieve better performance by making the car lower, but then we would also suffer more from porpoising. It's a trade-off you have to make."

8 Comments
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F1King33 13 June 2022 at 17:17+ 6684

Well said Lando, Realistic opinion ????

JapieKrekel 13 June 2022 at 16:03+ 8495

Nuff said

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F1isBack 13 June 2022 at 15:47+ 31513

Im sure Lando is only expressing the opinion shared by the majority of the drivers except 1. Well said.

El Super Guapo 13 June 2022 at 15:02+ 3018

Well said Norris! Fix you’re own damn car and don’t ask for the FIA to do it for you! You’re not used to competing, have a dominant car for 8 years has made Merc soft!

Chrome Agnon 13 June 2022 at 15:48+ 69

Too true. What little respect I had for Mercs dominance over the last decade has now degenerated into disgust for the whole team team (except George) . George, try not to stroke Lewis too much, it's undignified. We better get out the popcorn for Montreal. I fully expect drama queen Lewis to request a wheel chair to help him exit Parc ferme. Careful what you wish for...

F1Aficionado 13 June 2022 at 14:21+ 2477

100% spot on. It is the same for EVERY team. Supriiiiise (for noone): ONE team and ONE individual in particular are supervocal (some call that: whiney) about it. And make a ridiculous show about it (the old man trying to get out of the car)... Solution: FIA, get a sensor in there that measures vibrations. The car must not start a session if the sensor shows overboarding bouncing/porpoising. SIMPLE! Then those with those issues have to raise their car OR soften the suspension and voila - no more porpoising. And +2 sec per lap ;) Can't wait for the "special one's" comments about the soap-box of a Merc THEN... #getspopcorn

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Carmen Lava 13 June 2022 at 14:08+ 1169

Mercedes' mentality is different from the mentality of the midfield teams: The midfield teams don't care more about performance and speed than solving car problems because they are used to competing with each other Mercedes, on the contrary, prefer to stay behind Ferrari and Red Bull rather than fight with the midfield and this is the effect of the domination that has affected them

Steph911 13 June 2022 at 13:53+ 1755

Well said Norris!!!!