George Russell reveals Mercedes blocked engineer from "dangerous" porpoising test

George Russell has said he's glad to see the back of Formula 1's current generation of ground-effect cars, describing them as "brutal" to drive and revealing that even Mercedes' own health and safety didn't allow a designer to experience how extreme the porpoising really was in a simulator.

Asked whether he was happy to say goodbye to this rules cycle ahead of the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix, Russell didn't hesitate to make his opinion known.

“Oh yeah, to be honest. They are brutal cars, to be honest. We've got a rig that does simulated replays of a lap, replaying the suspension movements from the chassis side.

"Lewis and I wanted to put one of our chief designers in this car to do a replay of Baku to show how aggressive the porpoising was. And the health and safety officer said it was too dangerous. So it just gives a bit of perspective."

The current cars have been punishing for drivers, with the machines relying mostly on ground-effect to create the downforce necessary to compete. In 2022, the year these rules were implemented, porpoising was rampant throughout the grid. This resulted in safety concerns over the cars bottoming out and the stress this put on a driver's body.

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The 2026 regulation changes are expected to eliminate this phenomenon with the floor no longer being used in the same capacity as in these current cars. With the aerodynamic concept of the upcoming regulations leaning more on what teams used ahead of the 2022 change, the focus will be somewhat on the new powertrain.

George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Clive Rose / Formula 1 via Getty Images

"You're driving around for an hour and a half, you're shaking all over the place. Your back, your body, your eyes. I remember the first year I went to Vegas, I couldn't see the brake marker boards because the car was hitting the ground so aggressively.

"I was doing 240 miles an hour. I just couldn't, you couldn't see it. I spoke with a few drivers and half the grid was the same.

"So yeah, glad that we're moving away from this.”

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