The take from Mercedes and Red Bull, and explaining F1’s new regulation; there will be a new technical directive for the Belgian GP this weekend as the FIA looks to crackdown on porpoising – while there could be a performance impact at the front…
By Matt Morlidge
Last Updated: 23/08/22 3:49pm
George Russell says there is “no doubt” Red Bull and Ferrari “pushed the regulations” through the first half of the season and hopes the new technical directive for the Belgian GP slows down Mercedes’ F1 rivals.
After months of discussions over concerns about the 2022 cars porpoising, a change is coming for this weekend in Spa with a new rule that is focused on driver safety and controlling the bouncing, but at the same time limits the use of ‘flexi-floors’, an area 2022’s fastest teams Red Bull and Ferrari are believed to have been exploiting as opposed to Mercedes.
The world champions have been surprisingly off the pace so far this season but insist they have been less adventurous over utilising the floor of their car, which can have a significant performance impact.
“Spa is going to be interesting,” Russell told Sky Sports. “There’s changes to some little regulations which may bring other teams towards us.”
Mercedes have previously been tentative about referencing Red Bull and Ferrari by name and accusing their rivals, but Russell said: “There is no doubt that Ferrari and Red Bull have pushed the regulations in that regard, and we’ve respected it as the regulation was intended.”
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The Belgian GP, the first race after the summer break, is all live on Sky Sports F1 and the new technical directive adds another layer of intrigue – although whether it indeed hinders Red Bull and Ferrari remains to be seen.
“There’s no guarantees it will bring them closer to us,” admitted Russell. “We know if it was on our car, it would make us slower. Every car is different, but it’s not going to help them that’s for sure.”
While Red Bull and Ferrari have voiced their displeasure about the TD coming in, they have both been adamant that the floor changes won’t affect their performance.
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“We just have to be careful we don’t overshoot here and create a big regulation change at this point of the year,” said Christian Horner before the summer break.
“I’m not worried about the technical directive. I don’t think that has any consequence for us.”