F1 rule stopped Lewis Hamilton from getting help out of car despite back injury

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Lewis Hamilton was unable to receive help getting out of his car at the end of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix because of a strict F1 rule.

Hamilton complained of back issues throughout the race around the streets of Baku due to extreme porpoising by his car. At one stage during the race, the seven-time world champion yelled that his back was killing him.

Despite his uncomfortable journey around the bobbly streets of Azerbaijani capital, Hamilton managed to make it to the end of the race, finishing fourth. After bringing his car to a stop in parc ferme, the British ace struggled to lift himself out of his Mercedes, leading some to question why no-one came to his aid.

Under park ferme regulations, drivers cannot be touched by another human until they are weighed after the race, meaning Hamilton had to make his way out of the car under his own steam.

However, Hamilton and Mercedes could find themselves in a spot of bother after a picture later emerged of one member of the team giving the 37-year-old a hand as he struggled out of the cockpit.

What do you make of Mercedes' porpoising issues? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Speaking to Sky Sports afterwards, Hamilton admitted that he was praying for the race to end as his car kept porpoising up and down on the street circuit. "Yeah, that’s the only thing just hold this like biting down on my teeth through pain and just adrenaline," he said.

"I can’t express the pain that you experience, particularly on the straight here. And at the end, you’re just praying for it to end. We’re in such a good position, we get third and fourth, [it] is a great result for the team. Really, the team did a great job with the strategy."

Hamilton believes that if Mercedes can fix the porpoising issue, they'll be right in contention with Red Bull and Ferrari at the front of the grid.

"Once we fix this bouncing we can be right there in the race," he said. "But we were losing for sure over a second just from bouncing. I’ll be in the factory tomorrow. We’ve got to have some good discussions and keep pushing."

Mercedes don't have very long to get to grips with the porpoising problem with the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal only one week away.

• F1
• Lewis Hamilton

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