Esteban Ocon says support is growing for an FIA intervention to help lessen the effects of bouncing suffered by Formula 1's latest cars. Pierre Gasly, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were amongst the drivers vocal in their complaints after an Azerbaijan Grand Prix that left them suffering from back pain. During Friday's pre-weekend drivers' briefing, the problem was put to the FIA, with some drivers keen to see a rule change to lessen the effects. The suggestions of how to cure the issue have ranged from (re)introducing active suspension to raising the minimum ride height, both allowing cars to run further from the ground along straights.
Ocon: We can't prepare our bodies for that
But support for change is growing, says Ocon, who intends to back any sensible solutions to eradicate the problem. "Yeah, that's a fair comment," he told media, including RacingNews365.com , when asked if more and more drivers are seeking FIA intervention. "None of us want to sound like divas or that we are complaining that the cars are too hard to drive, but we need to realise that it's not healthy going into the future. "It's not the porpoising necessarily, I think it's the stiffness of the cars which is a big hit on the long straight. We can't prepare our bodies for that."
Ocon disagrees with Horner's claim
Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes teams have been persuading their drivers to complain about the porpoising effect of their cars to encourage changes to the regulations. It comes with Mercedes driver Russell having been amongst the most vocal in demanding a rule change. When asked if he agreed with the view taken by the likes of Horner, Ocon said: "George finished on the podium today, so it doesn't seem too bad. "I think it is something that the FIA are going to look at, probably for in the future, and it's something that we will support." The Alpine driver added: "It's up to the FIA and then the policeman really to call what you can do or not in the future."
Most read
