Hamilton was 'praying for end' of GP
Monday, 13 June 2022
The seven-time World Champion experienced extreme porpoising.
Lewis Hamilton says he was "praying" for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to end due to back pain brought on from his bouncing Mercedes car.
The seven-time world champion complained over the team radio and later struggled to get out of his car at the end of Sunday's race.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff apologised to Hamilton for the ongoing porpoising issue, which has been a particular problem in Baku due to the high speeds and bumpy street layout.
"Lewis, we all know this is a bit of a s***box to drive at the moment. I'm sorry for the back also, we will sort ourselves out," Wolff said.
Speaking earlier this week, Hamilton's team-mate George Russell warned Formula 1® chiefs to expect a "major incident" if action is not taken to address the problem.
Despite the pain, Hamilton finished in fourth, one place behind Russell, and says he got through the race on adrenaline alone.
"Yeah, that's the only thing [that kept me going]," he told Sky Sports. "Biting down on my teeth through pain and just adrenaline.
"I can't express the pain that you experience, particularly on the straight here. At the end, you're just praying for it to end.
"We're in such a good position still, we got third and fourth which is a great result for the team.
"The team did a great job with the strategy. Once we fix this bouncing, we're going to be right there in a race but we're losing over a season just with bouncing, for sure.
"Or at least a second with bouncing… I'll be at the factory tomorrow. We've got to have some good discussions and keep pushing."
McLaren's car has also experienced bouncing problems and Daniel Ricciardo, who finished eighth, compared it to having his head knocked around like a basketball.
"You know when pro basketball players bounce the ball really low? That's what I felt like someone was doing to my helmet," he said.
"I know George has been vocal about it like it's not sustainable. I feel rattled. It's definitely not good. It's not good for our general health and well-being."
Useful points scored today 🙏 Maximised the opportunities from a tricky weekend. But still work to do, so we'll keep putting in the work. pic.twitter.com/gi2skXEh19
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) June 12, 2022
