“The lap felt strong. Then it is surprising when you see that the gap is 1.3 seconds,” said Russell, who still struggles with a lot of bounce in his Mercedes. In Baku, this is further reflected in the long straight.
“The car is now so close to the ground to get the maximum aerodynamic advantage. It’s actually awful. At the end of the straight I can barely see where to brake because we bounce so much. I don’t think we’re the only car, but it affects half the grid. Ferrari has it too, but somehow their lap times don’t suffer. We are doing everything we can to solve the problems.”
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has often said that the bouncing problems can be solved quite easily by changing the ride height, but then a car immediately loses a lot of speed. Russell hopes changes will be made to the rules by the FIA. This year the new era in the premier class has begun, with new cars and the return of the ground effect.
“With the technology we have now, it seems unnecessary to me that Formula 1 cars that go so fast are only a few millimeters above the ground. I don’t know what the future holds, but I don’t think we can keep this up for another three years. With those bumps here and that car bouncing up and down, that’s not exactly comfortable. I think it’s only a matter of time before accidents happen.”
Red Bull, in contrast to Ferrari and Mercedes, among others, is much less bothered by the bounce.