Dylan Bettencourt
Alpha Tauri Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly said he worries that he’ll need a cane to walk by the age of 30 due to the cars’ excessive bouncing during races.
The term “porpoising” has been made popular in the sport this year and is explained as the wind travelling beneath the car, causing a suction effect that bounces the car at high speeds.
Several drivers have spoken of the effect it has had on their safety, although some drivers have said it hasn’t affected them at all.
Perhaps the driver it has had the biggest impact on is Lewis Hamilton, who struggled to get out of his car at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last Sunday.
Gasly has added to Hamilton’s concerns. “It’s not healthy, that’s for sure,” he said.
“I’ve had a physio session before and after every session, just because my [spinal] discs are suffering from it. You have literally no suspension. It just hits going through your spine.”
The easy solution for teams is to raise the height of the car from the ground, but doing that reduces their speed and they don’t want that.
“The team is asking me, ‘OK, we can compromise the set-up?’ and I’m compromising my health for the performance,” Gasly said.
The 26-year-old said he is willing to sacrifice his health because results are part of his job but urged the governing body to change the rules to benefit the drivers’ health.
“That’s what we discussed at the drivers’ briefing and kind of alerted them to this problem — and tried to ask them to find solutions to save us from ending up with a cane at 30 years old,” the Frenchman added.
Although there were initial concerns that Hamilton’s back pain may be too severe for him to compete at the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, the seven-time world champion said he will be fit to race.
Image source: @Autosport
