George Russell was pleased to survive a tough Azerbaijan Grand Prix and pick up his third podium of the season. The Mercedes driver took advantage of Ferrari's retirements and two Virtual Safety Cars to complete a two-stop strategy en route to third place. The Briton was mostly unchallenged in his podium result, and was happy to extend his run of consistent points finishes in 2022. "As we've said before, you've got to be there at the end to pick up pieces," Russell told Sky Sports F1 after the race. "Thanks so much to all the guys back at Brackley and Brixworth for doing a great job to get the car to the end. "It's not easy this year with everything that's going on and the cars are going through a torrid time with the bouncing, but I'm pleased to bring it home in P3."
Russell: Drivers have to cope with 'brutal' porpoising
The Mercedes team once again had to contend with major porpoising issues at the Baku City Circuit, with Lewis Hamilton reporting back pain during the race. Russell confirmed after the Grand Prix that he felt the effects of the bouncing, but couldn't see a resolution to the problem anytime soon. "I was pretty pleased to see the race come to a close, I was just smashing the ground every single corner and every single lap out there for an hour-and-a-half, and it is pretty brutal," added Russell. "It's just what we've got to deal with at the moment and we as drivers have to accept. "There's not going to be any short-term changes, but obviously there are conversations ongoing about what the long-term future of these regulations hold. When asked how the issue could be solved, Russell sympathised with the set-up dilemmas faced by the teams. "I don't know what the solution is to be honest. I think majority of us are in the same boat," he explained. "Either you've got porpoising and the car's bouncing up and down and hitting the floor or, if you don't, you run the car millimetres from the ground and you're just hitting the floor lap after lap. "Whichever boat you're in, it's not a pleasant one."
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