Scuderia Ferrari Spanish driver Carlos Sainz warned that a discussion needs to be held on how rule changes within the sport have the potential to affect the long-term health of Formula 1 drivers. Carlos admitted to being concerned about the long-term health impact of racing the latest generation of F1 cars after experiencing intense stiffness in his neck and back after the Miami Grand Prix two weeks ago.
The new rules and technical regulations for the current campaign have led to the possibility of generating a lot of downforce from the car’s underfloor aerodynamics, which had effectively been outlawed under the former regulations as F1 cars had to use flat floors. At the same time, the new design and concepts used for the new cars and the focus on underfloor aerodynamics has resulted in a knock-on impact for driver comfort as the teams have are now forced to run suspension settings low and stiff to be able to extract maximum performance from the floor of the cars.
In addition to this, the new cars have to deal with a lot of bouncing at high speed on the straights when the floor gets closer to the track surface and the underfloor aerodynamics momentarily stall. The phenomenon is known in Formula 1 as porpoising and has been so extreme on some cars that drivers’ heads have been visibly bouncing against the cockpit headrest at some tracks.
At the end of the Imola race a few weeks ago, Mercedes driver George Russell admitted to experiencing chest and back pain due to bouncing on his car, while several other drivers also pointed out how uncomfortable it is to get behind the wheel of the new generation of Formula 1 cars.
Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz thinks this situation needs to be carefully evaluated and rule changes could even be taken into consideration:
“We need to consider how much of a toll a driver should be paying for his back and his health in a Formula One career,” the Ferrari driver said, ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix. “With this kind of car’s philosophy we need to open a debate more than anything. I have done checks on my back and neck tightness and this year it is tighter everywhere, I am already feeling it. I don’t need expert advice to know that ten years like this is going to be tough.” – he added.
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The new rules and regulations have the purpose of improving the on track spectacle by allowing drivers to run closer to the cars in front of them without losing too much downforce, which leads to more overtaking attempts. This was possible by tidying up the airflow coming off the rear of the lead car. Yet Carlos Sainz feels any future rule modifications should also be based on the drivers’ health, not only the show:
“To run as stiff for our necks and backs as we are having to run lately with this car mass, it’s a question for F1 and everyone to think about. How much a driver needs to pay a price in his career and his health in order to combat it. I am thinking long term. There is the interest of the teams, of overtaking, of the show you need to factor in the equation but what if we for the first time also factor in the driver? It could be interesting. It will get to a point that if we decide to go in certain direction the FIA needs to get involved. It’s still a new idea for me and I need to talk to other drivers like George that are struggling with the same phenomenon, to sit together to see what we can offer or propose.” – Scuderia Ferrari Spanish driver Carlos Sainz concluded, ahead of the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya.
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