George Russell expresses concern on long-term chances of ‘violent’ F1 issue

Mercedes driver George Russell has admitted he's concerned that a 'violent' issue that has been prevalent in the opening rounds of the 2022 Formula One season could be here to stay.

'Porpoising' in cars has been a major issue for drivers and teams to deal with following the latest round of regulation changes, with Mercedes in particular struggling. Those issues reared their head again for Mercedes in Friday's qualifying session for the Emilia Romagna Sprint, who got through to the second round by the skin of their teeth but were swiftly eliminated.

That brought an end to a remarkable record for Mercedes as it was the first time since the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix that neither of their cars made it through to the final round of qualifying.

While Ferrari have also encountered 'porpoise' issues, it hasn't affected their speed like it has for Mercedes – and Russell fears it's a problem that may be around for the coming years.

"I think it’s going to be interesting with the porpoising issues. Obviously we’ve seen it’s been pretty violent for a lot of teams and a lot of drivers and obviously the DRS was removed in Melbourne for safety reasons to avoid anything happening," he told reporters.

"Obviously in the wet, over the bumps, whatever it may be… if we’re porpoising, who knows? I don't know what the long-term solution is for Formula 1 – if there truly is a solution for removing this porpoising, or there is not.

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"So, yeah, I don’t know what the long-term future is: if we’re going to have to just deal with this for the next three years or so."

Despite Mercedes' issues, the defending Constructor's Champions sit second in the standings after the opening three rounds of the season – though this is largely due to Red Bull's reliability issues.

Russell is behind only Charles Leclerc in the Driver's Championship, with a third-placed finish last time out in Australia.

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