F1 drivers feel porpoising is 'a compromise that you have to make', want teams to look into it

F1 drivers believe that dealing with porpoising 'is a compromise' they must make to drive the new generation of cars in 2022.

Earlier, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz revealed concerns about long-term neck and back issues that could be caused by porpoising and stiffer suspensions of the current cars.

When asked about the subject and if they had plans to discuss it with F1 and the FIA, Sergio Perez led the answers in a pre-race press conference at the Circuit de Catalunya. The Red Bull driver said:

“I don’t particularly have any issues, but certainly, by all the teams, by pushing the cars and pushing the aero, it becomes a problem. We all want to have more load in the car, but then there’s a compromise that you have to make, by not having too much porpoising in it. So, at the moment, I think it’s really up to the driver and team to decide how much you push it. Or how much you can take with you. But I don’t think it’s a big concern for us.”

Haas F1 driver Mick Schumacher also weighed in on the matter. The son of seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher said:

“Personally, I don’t have a problem with it but also, I think that we as a sport shouldn’t have to deal with that issue. I think the car should be well-engineered to not have that problem. And I’m sure that for the future, we won’t have it. Just because now we know that it kind-of created it. I’m pretty sure we’ll fix it.”

Alpine F1's veteran driver Fernando Alonso was also of the same opinion as the son of his former rival, saying:

“We don’t suffer much of that effect. So, for us it’s good. But we are aware that other teams, maybe they have bigger problems, and they will fix it for sure.”

Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas, meanwhile, called it a common issue for all teams to tackle, saying:

“I think it’s always a compromise, know how much you’re willing to take. But it seems to be a common issue. Some teams more. I think we’re not one of the worst ones. It’s been reasonable for now. And I think my back is already destroyed since 2015. So I don’t know if it makes any difference!”

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"It also depends on drivers" - Charles Leclerc on how porpoising affects different F1 drivers based on their sensitivity

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc feels the effects of porpoising will differ from driver to driver on the basis of their sensitivity.

Leclerc is driving the Ferrari F1-75, as is Carlos Sainz, and was asked if he felt the same way as his Spanish teammate. The Monegasque driver said:

“I think it also depends on drivers, because Carlos [Sainz] seems to be a bit more sensitive to it, compared to me, where I don’t struggle as much – but I definitely agree with him, that it should be something that shouldn’t happen with those cars.”

The current World Drivers' Championship leader went on to add, saying:

“We got better with it but there are some teams that are still struggling with it much more than we do, but for them, I cannot speak. Looking at onboards, some cars look much worse than others. We were definitely on the bad side at the beginning of the year. We got better, but still, it’s definitely something that we should look at.”

Ferrari have reduced the porpoising on their car considerably since the first viral clip of Leclerc bouncing on the start/finish straight at the Circuit de Catalunya during pre-season testing. The phenomenon, however, still persists.

Earlier, Mercedes driver George Russell had suggested that F1 allow the return of active suspensions to the sport to help combat the issue.