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Mercedes driver George Russell has a unique solution to F1’s ‘porpoising’ issue that plagued almost every team in the first pre-season test at Barcelona.
Russell feels that a return to ‘active suspension’ might help teams overcome the potentially dangerous phenomenon, given that hydraulic suspension has been banned for 2022. Speaking to the media following the conclusion of the Barcelona test, he said:
“We just saw with the Charles video just how bad it was for them [Ferrari]. So, I think we will need to find a solution. I guess if active suspension was there, it could be solved with a click of your fingers. And the cars would naturally be a hell of a lot faster if we had that.”
Welcoming other ideas as well into the discussion, he said:
“I’m sure all the teams are capable of that, so that could be one for the future. But let’s see in Bahrain. I’m sure the teams will come up with some smart ideas around this issue.”
Pioneered mainly by Williams and McLaren in the early 1990s, active suspension allows a car’s suspension to be controlled electronically. Following a crackdown on ‘driver aids’, however, teams have been banned from using active technology since 1994.
Russell feels the technology would be a good solution to the porpoising issues in the long term. Furthermore, he also feels active suspension would also help the new cars become faster, as well as much safer.
Mercedes “pleased” with productive Barcelona test
Mercedes’ head of trackside engineering Andrew Shovlin said the team was pleased with a productive first pre-season test at Barcelona. In a display of reliability, the Silver Arrows clocked in the second-most mileage of all teams.
Speaking to the media following the conclusion of the test, he said:
“We’re pleased with how the week has gone. We planned a very busy program for the three days, and we managed to get through the high priority items, making good progress with the car and power unit.”
Mercedes have extensively reworked their power unit for the 2022 season to aid their chassis team package the new car as narrowly as possible. This will allow it to retain its preferred aerodynamic philosophy. The PU’s reliability, despite extensive changes, therefore bodes well for the team.
