Formula 1 Drivers Ask For Help To Solve F1's Biggest Problem

For Ferrari fans, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was a brutal race. Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz did not finish despite a strong performance in qualifying.

But for many drivers, their finishing position wasn't their primary concern. Footage was shown after the race of Lewis Hamilton climbing, or rather struggling to climb, out of his Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 car. Despite the issues surrounding porpoising, Red Bull continues to dominate this season.

"Sore, that was the most painful race I've experienced, the toughest race I've experienced," said Hamilton. Lewis also said he didn't know if he would make it. The current rumors suggest that he might not even race this weekend in Canada.

Hamilton isn't the only driver that has raised concerns about "porpoising," which is an aerodynamic issue that causes a rapid bouncing motion while the car is out on track.

George Russell, Hamilton's teammate, also said he could barely see the braking zones when the cars are on track because of the violent bouncing. While Merc isn't the only one suffering from it, the team has long been the prime example of porpoising's adverse effects on both driver's health and the car's performance.

You'd think the company that brought the Mercedes-AMG ONE to the streets would have a handle on this, but the team continues to struggle with the issue.

Still, it raises both safety and health concerns. Daniel Ricciardo likened the experience to feeling like a dribbling basketball. The only driver not bothered by the problem is Fernando Alonso, who reckons his body is fit enough to take the hammering.

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz has urged the FIA to take action on porpoising. Sainz said that if the FIA doesn't act, issues with porpoising will start piling up. It's not hard to imagine a driver missing a braking zone and crashing due to the problem, or worse, a driver suffering from long-term back issues.

A report from 1996 by F1 race doctor Sid Watkins detailed the issue rather well. "Because of the vertical forces in the spine, disc protrusion is more likely to occur," stated the report. Watkins' report concerned the incredibly stiff suspension in the cars at that time, but these findings are highly relevant to porpoising.

The report goes on to state that vibration is also a problem. "The spine receives vertical loading as the result of the car bumping. This compresses and decompresses the intervertebral discs in the spine. At the worst, this could result in herniated discs in some drivers."

Red Bull's Christain Horner has said the FIA shouldn't change the rules to combat porpoising, but the issue will likely continue to affect the health and safety of drivers until it is addressed.

While porpoising is a real issue, one has to include a counterargument. Red Bull has managed to mitigate the effects of porpoising, which currently gives them a great advantage. Changing the rules would be a disservice to RB's engineers, and a huge favor to engineers who can't figure it out.