'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Daniel Ricciardo believes Lewis Hamilton was not exaggerating his back pain after the Azerbaijan GP. Speaking ahead of the Canadian GP to the Press Association in an interview, the Australian explained the extent of the bouncing on the cars and empathized with the seven-time world champion.
Defending the Briton’s back issue during the Azerbaijan GP weekend, Ricciardo said:
“There was talk about Lewis [Hamilton] after the race. I saw some of his on-boards, I saw pictures of him getting out of the car and stretching his back, and he wasn’t exaggerating. It really was uncomfortable. The good thing is it’s very visible. If you have the car’s audio, you can hear it jumping and bouncing, and from the images you can see the helmet is moving around too. It’s not normal or comfortable. The position we sit in the car, we don’t have much room to move so we aren’t prepared for the impacts.”
Following speculation in the paddock that Lewis Hamilton might have exaggerated his back pain, Ricciardo refuted the claims. The Australian defended the Briton and believes his struggles were real given the oscillations on the Mercedes W13 which was running at an extremely low ride height causing bottoming. The Silver Arrows outfit were accused of using driver health as a ruse to push for a mid-season rule change to eliminate porpoising and bouncing by getting the FIA to raise the ride-height of the car. Ricciardo believes the health effects due to the bouncing is a concern and will be a topic of discussion in Canada as well.
Speaking further on the topic of bouncing affecting driver health, the McLaren driver said:
“If that’s up to a rule change, or the way the teams are setting up the cars, I’m not 100% sure. But I wouldn’t like anyone to go through any unnecessary injury or pain. We’ve spoken about it throughout the season but with Baku being such a big one, I’m sure it will get discussed in the drivers’ briefing on Friday [at the Canadian Grand Prix].”
Daniel Ricciardo feels Lewis Hamilton is as capable as George Russell
With George Russell outscoring and outperforming Lewis Hamilton for most of the 2022 season, a narrative of comparison between the two has become a popular topic within the paddock and amongst the fans. However, the seven-time world champion has been more focused on developing the car and getting their difficult package to work. Ricciardo defended the British champion’s ability to race and believes he is just as competitive as his junior teammate.
Commenting on Lewis Hamilton's ability to deliver, the Australian driver said:
“I definitely think Lewis is as capable as ever. We all knew George was quick, and it was just ‘how quick is he? How good is he?’ And he’s proving he’s very good. But I also wouldn’t count Lewis out for having the ability to win this weekend, for example. I don’t think he has lost anything – no, not at all.”
Daniel Ricciardo was adamant about not discounting Lewis Hamilton from the Canadian GP, which is one of his favourite circuits. After a series of inconsistent performances and issues adjusting to the car, the Briton is sixth in the Driver Standings and 37 points behind Russell.
