F1
Porpoising weighed down George Russell's qualifications
George Russell was eliminated in Q2 at the Miami Grand Prix due to porpoising. © Photo Julien Delfosse / DPPI
Best time of the second Free Practice session, George Russell was a shadow of himself on the track Saturday at the Miami Grand Prix. Aboard his W13, the Briton never managed to find his bearings during FP3 and Qualifying (12th). These poor results, Georges Russell owes them in part to a slight adjustment on the car which only amplified the phenomenon which penalizes Mercedes since the arrival of the new technical regulation, porpoising. “ We thought we had played it safe to avoid any porpoising but that is not the case », Analyzed the Mercedes driver, disappointed with his performance.
A disappointing qualifying for George Russell, struggling with his porpoising W13 😕
The Mercedes driver starts in P12 for the Grand Prix #MiamiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/m1nKIQz0vp
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 7, 2022
« It was very difficult to drive, the car was bouncing everywhere with the porpoising. I lost all confidence in the car, I couldn't attack any corners and ultimately it cost us dearly today. » It was in Q2 that the W13's problems were most glaring. George Russell was unable to keep the line between turns 6, 7 and 8 and made this clear to his engineers.
Toto wolff, the team manager of the German team also confirms that Mercedes made a mistake on Saturday in the settings. “ The main objective was still to manage the porpoise and that was good yesterday. Then we tried something that didn't seem like a big change but it affected the car. And at the end of qualifying, the drivers suffered from porpoising because the bouncing has a big effect on the braking zones, on what the tires do »
With the potential displayed during the first day of racing in Miami, Mercedes and George Russell could clearly have aimed higher in Qualifying. The British driver will have to catch up in the race. The long straight lines of the Florida layout should allow him to gain positions on the track and why not even return to the height of Lewis Hamilton, 6th at the start on the grid.
ALSO READ > Leclerc relies on his Ferrari's agility in the corners to resist Verstappen's top speed
Read also
Comments
*The space reserved for logged in users. Please connect to be able to respond or post a comment!
0 Comment (s)
To write a comment
0 View comments)