Martin Brundle says he has sympathy for Mercedes' drivers over their bouncing issues, but does not believe that the FIA should intervene with changes to the regulations that would help them fix the issue. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have both complained of the health risks associated with the intense bouncing they were forced to endure for 51 laps during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. At one stage it appeared that Hamilton, who struggled to get out of his car on Sunday afternoon, could be forced to miss the Canadian Grand Prix through injury. He has since confirmed that he will race. The problems associated with bouncing were raised with the FIA by drivers during a briefing on Friday in Baku, with support said to be growing for intervention. But Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes teams have been persuading their drivers to complain about the effect to encourage self-beneficial changes to the regulations.
Brundle: It would be like asking a turkey to vote for Christmas
A vote would be needed to enact any regulation change, a vote that would be like "asking a turkey to vote for Christmas", argues Brundle, with Mercedes looking to unlock what he says is "quite an excellent" car. "The teams that have got it sorted are clearly saying that's Mercedes' problem and it's not Formula 1's problem," Brundle told Sky Sports. "Of course, [Mercedes] can fix it by raising the car, but then they lose a huge amount of performance. So, they need to get the car low, stiff on the suspension and stiff on the side wall of the new tyres as well, and they've had to sacrifice comfort for performance. "What's surprising, really, is that Mercedes just can't seem to get a handle on what looks like, actually, quite an excellent car, if they could just unlock it."
"The emphasis is on the team to sort it out"
With some teams more impacted than others by problems with bouncing, Brundle thinks that it is down to those affected to find their own solutions. "If it was something that was affecting everybody, then yes, [the regulations should change] on the grounds of safety, but you can see that some cars are absolutely fine, and others are struggling," the former F1 driver commented. "Therefore, I think the emphasis is on the team to sort it out as opposed to changing the regulations. It's something that they're struggling with, it's not something that our drivers are complaining about. "I think it would be unfair if there was a change just because they've missed the target."
Is support for FIA intervention growing amongst drivers?
The Mercedes drivers are not alone in their complaints about bouncing, with the likes of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon also voicing concerns. Gasly in particular did not hold back in his comments. The AlphaTauri driver has called for the FIA to address the issue as he fears he could find himself "walking with a cane" by 30 should the bouncing persist. Despite not being in favour of regulation change, Brundle admits that he can sympathise with what the drivers are experiencing. "I'm not underplaying what George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are going through, because it does look particularly painful," continued Brundle. "And, the Ferrari drivers just at the crucial breaking points that looks plain tricky to me, I don't know how they go into the corners frankly."
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