F1 2022: Azerbaijan
F1 returned to Azerbaijan this weekend in the first race of the upcoming double header. After a strong qualifying from Leclerc, race day can only be described as disastrous for Ferrari..
Carlos Sainz retired early with a hydraulic problem, while Leclerc had an engine blow out, rendering both Ferraris redundant with fewer than half of the laps completed. Red Bull naturally capitalised on Ferrari’s failures, with Max Verstappen taking top spot and Sergio Perez gaining another second place finish. Verstappen extends his lead at the top of the championship to 21 points, with Perez still in contention behind him.
A big talking point this weekend was the ‘porpoising’, with Mercedes being particularly badly affected. Porpoising is a term referring to the bouncing of the car on high speed straights, with drivers experiencing vertical forces of up to 6G. Cars with a lower floor are more likely to be affected by the issue as the bottom of the car is pushed downwards at high speeds. Usually, a lower floor is an advantage in terms of speed, but the porpoising effect is also making cars lose a lot of speed. Opting for a higher floor seems to be reducing the issue, with Lando Norris commenting that he’s having “a great time” with his McLaren at the moment. Lewis Hamilton was complaining of back pain throughout the race, and could be seen struggling to get out of his car at the chequered flag. On board footage shows drivers’ helmets moving quite dramatically in the affected cars, calling for a review of driver welfare and wellbeing concerning the possibility of accumulated micro-concussions inflicted by the porpoising effect.
Moving forward to next weekend will be very important for Ferrari. Leclerc needs a decent result to remain in contention with Red Bull, and after his poor luck over recent weekends. He has been a consistent performer in qualifying so far, but has fallen victim to car issues when crucial points are up for grabs. Meanwhile in the opposite garage, Carlos Sainz is still waiting for his first F1 victory. Could that be on the cards this coming weekend in Canada..?
