George Russell hit with chest and back pains triggered by bouncing Mercedes

Russell, Mercedes, Imola, 2022 — Photo: © LAT Images

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

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Russell hit with chest and back pains triggered by bouncing Mercedes

The W13 continued to bounce at Imola

Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale

Sunday 24 April 2022 19:15

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George Russell has revealed he is beginning to suffer from back and chest pains as a result of Mercedes' porpoising problems.

The Briton rescued a positive result for the team at the end of a miserable Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend, with the highlight a stellar first lap in wet conditions that provided the platform for his eventual fourth place.

Russell is now the only driver to have finished in the top five in each of the first four races of the season.

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But Mercedes' performance issues remained at Imola and the bouncing phenomenon the team has experienced appeared as pronounced as ever around the Italian circuit.

"When the tyres are in the right window, the car, except for the bouncing, feels really good to drive," said Russell.

"The bouncing really takes your breath away and is the most extreme I have ever felt it.

"I really hope we find a solution, and I hope every team that is struggling with the bouncing finds a solution because it is not sustainable for drivers to continue at this level.

"This is the first weekend I have truly been struggling with my back and [I have] chest pains from the severity of the bouncing.

"It is just what we have to do to get the fastest lap times out of the car."

Russell Bottas 2021 incident may have led to DRS delay

One of the main talking points from the race was the decision by the FIA's race control room to not allow DRS activation until the second half of the grand prix, despite a prominent dry line emerging early on.

Asked for his thoughts on the delay, Russell insisted: "It is something I didn't really think about.

"It is very difficult on a circuit like this because there are kinks in all the straights and we have seen the incident Valtteri and I had last year."