Such is the back pain suffered by Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff says his driver could miss his next race in Canada.
The topic of porpoise and its impact on drivers’ health became one of the main topics of discussion at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
This rebound phenomenon is something that Mercedes has followed throughout the calendar so far, after the move from Formula 1 to ground-based aerodynamics for 2022.
But in large parts of the network, its severity in Azerbaijan was a major cause for concern.
In Mercedes, the W13 bounce has caused a severe back pain for Hamilton, the seven-time former world champion revealed that he had been “praying” for the race to end.
When asked by Sky Sports F1 if he relied on adrenaline to finish the race, Hamilton replied, “Yeah, that’s all there is to it, like biting my teeth in pain and just adrenaline.
“I can’t express the pain you’re experiencing, especially on the straight here. And in the end, you’re just praying for it to end.”
Hamilton was seen struggling to get out of the booth after the race and with the first Canadian Grand Prix since 2019 next weekend, Wolff is not so sure Hamilton can compete.
When asked if Hamilton’s participation in the Canadian Grand Prix was in doubt, Wolff told reporters, “Yes, definitely.
“I haven’t seen him and I haven’t talked to him since, but it looks like this is no longer muscular – it goes right into the spine and there are some consequences.
“At this stage I think he is perhaps the worst affected of all the drivers. But almost everyone, from what I understand from the drivers, said something had to happen.
“The solution could be to have someone on reserve, who we have in every race anyway, to make sure our cars work.”
In the event that Hamilton is unable to compete in Canada, Mercedes may request the services of one of its Formula E drivers, with Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne both acting as reserve drivers for the Formula 1 team.
De Vries’ only experience during a Formula One race weekend came at the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix, where he made his FP1 debut with Williams.
Vandoorne, meanwhile, is a former McLaren driver who made his debut in 2016 before competing in full campaigns in 2017 and 2018.