How are drivers reacting to the FIA ​​decision regarding porpoising?

This is the decision that has divided the paddock for a little over 24 hours now. The FIA ​​decided to listen to the drivers' fears about porpoising and shared a circular with the teams in order to control this phenomenon. While in Canada, it will be a big splash for this new control device, the position taken divides the paddock. Some believe that the teams could have done this on their own without resorting to the FIA.

Those who are satisfied with the FIA's choice regarding porpoising

When we talk about porpoising, there is obviously a stable that stands out directly. Mercedes is one of the teams that suffers the most from this phenomenon on its car, like a Lewis Hamilton out of breath after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He and his teammate George Russell felt that the FIA's decision allowed health to be put back at the center of the debate. “ It's not a matter of just rolling with the rebounds for the next 4 years, it's a matter of eliminating them completely. Pilots don't want to have back problems in the future », underlines Lewis Hamilton.

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One of the main risks that porpoising poses to pilots remains the possible dangers to the intervertebral discs. Daniel Ricciardo recognized that the choice of the FIA ​​made it possible to place the health of drivers at the top of its priorities. “ I think we're already taking a lot of risks getting in the car every weekend », recalls the Australian. Pierre Gasly followed in the footsteps of the 32-year-old pilot. “ I don't think they took the wrong path. This allows us not to find ourselves in the position where as a pilot we have to make the choice between health and performance because inevitably as pilots we will always choose performance. »

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With this decision, the FIA ​​recalled that it had the power to apply directives to all teams to reduce porpoising. Without the global body, Kevin Magnussen I’m not sure everyone would have played the game.” They did what they had to do I think. It is always difficult to find an agreement between all the teams and this is where the FIA ​​must intervene and resolve the situation. »

Sergio Pérez also believes that the intervention of the FIA ​​was inevitable. “ We all want to ride as low as possible but we all have limits and if you reach these limits, it is no longer healthy for the drivers as we heard in the comments of some last week. This is a good intervention by the FIA ​​to try to contain the phenomenon. »

Alpine et Aston Martin are not among the stables which suffered the most from porpoising. However, their drivers did not hesitate to welcome the FIA ​​initiative. “ As drivers, we want to ask the FIA ​​for help because for us, sometimes, it's complicated to go to our team and ask them to lose performance because we have pain. So if they can do it for us, that's great. ", precise Fernando Alonso.

Those who think it's a bit rushed

Although the discussions were held before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Azeri event inexorably gave a boost within the FIA. Carlos Sainz who has complained about porpoising since the start of the year did not expect to see a directive emerge so quickly. “ I think they studied our conversations and our complaints. To be honest, I didn't expect to have an answer, an action so soon because I think we need to study the details carefully to make the right decisions. »

Those who are against this FIA decision

Among the drivers who were able to express themselves on the FIA ​​circular, two drivers mainly stood out against it. Max Verstappen was one of the first to recognize that some teams had managed to overcome this problem without the recourse of the world body. “ I think there are a lot of teams that have done an incredible job of not having these kinds of issues, so it's possible to work around them », Explains the world champion.

An opinion shared by Charles Leclerc. The pilot of the Team he also thinks that correcting porpoising is the task of each stable. “ I think it's the team's responsibility to offer a car that is drivable and so far I haven't had any particular problems with it. For our part, we have always found solutions to improve things. » While waiting to know how in practice the stables will adapt to this new directive, Red Bull and Ferrari have again dominated the debates in Montreal. 

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