This afternoon's Azerbaijan Grand Prix was quite the triumph for Red Bull.
Not only did Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez take the top two positions, but their main rivals in the constructor’s championship had a disastrous afternoon. Both Ferraris would fail to finish the race, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc being forced to retire early on due to issues with their cars.
As for Mercedes, they fared much better than their Italian counterparts.
George Russell would continue his run of finishing in the top five in every race this season, securing third place behind the Red Bulls. Lewis Hamilton would finish one spot further back, moving up from his starting position of seventh.
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However, their car continued to experience some issues.
The erratic bouncing of the Mercedes throughout the season has been a big issue, with the drivers now starting to suffer the consequences of that. Both Russell and Hamilton have complained that the bumpy ride they are experiencing each week has resulted in some back issues.
this is ridiculous pic.twitter.com/bws7EG0NGb
— soph (@sophwebsterxx) June 12, 2022
When I see Mercedes... 🎶 You know what to do with that big fat but... wiggle wiggle wiggle... 🎶 - Snoop Dogg-Jason Derülo #AzerbaijanGP #BakuGP #F1 #Mercedes #Hamilton #Porpoising pic.twitter.com/X2d5QBLZP3
— Samantha van Wijk (@SamWijk) June 12, 2022
The team have been attempting to fix this issue for some time, although it only seems to be getting worse.
Toto Wolff apologises to Lewis Hamilton over car
In fact, team principal Toto Wolff would apologise to Hamilton after the race for their standard of the car.
We all know that this is a bit of a shit box to drive at the moment.
Sorry for that back also, we will sort ourselves out.
The 51 laps in Baku had clearly taken their toll on Hamilton, who needed assistance just to get out of the car after the race.
Hamilton does not look well 🤕 pic.twitter.com/4RaXebGvfT
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 12, 2022
Not a good look.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Lewis Hamilton admitted that he struggled throughout the race.
🗣️ "You’re just praying for it to end"
Lewis Hamilton was honest about how hard it was to drive through the pain on his back and whether adrenaline got him through! 👇 pic.twitter.com/fKhcRg2YMh— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 12, 2022
That's the only thing, biting down on my teeth through pain and just adrenaline.
I can't express the pain you experience, particularly on the straight here. At the end, you're just praying for it to end...
Once we fix this bouncing we are going to be right there in the race, but we're losing over a second just with bouncing. I'll be at the factory tomorrow and we've got to have some good discussions and keep pushing.
Mercedes will be hoping to fix this issue before the Canadian Grand Prix next weekend, although they are certainly in a race against time to do so.
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