Carlos Sainz undergoes precautionary scans for porpoising pain

Sam Hall
Saturday 18 June 2022 10:30

Carlos Sainz has revealed to undergoing scans to check for signs of an injury due to the intense porpoising of this year's F1 cars.

Ferrari has been one of the teams suffering from the phenomenon the most this year.

As a result of driver feedback, the FIA has introduced a technical directive from this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix onwards aimed at reducing the forces endured in the cockpit.

Explaining how porpoising has altered his routine, Sainz said: "I've had a few extra physiotherapy sessions with Rupert [Manwaring], my trainer.

"[I've had] a few extra scans to try and see what is going on, to see if there is anything to be monitoring or to take extra care on.

"We have also done some extra mobility sessions because this [the bouncing] makes you tighter, less flexible, having less mobility so you put in more of that to compensate.

"So you're having to do some compensation for these cars in your training and in the way you manage your days and your training plan, which I find is, actually, a challenge as an athlete but it is part of the process."

Sainz confident of positive porpoising resolution

Last weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix saw porpoising re-emerge as a topic of discussion after teams appeared to have overcome the phenomenon in Spain and Monaco, albeit with the slower speeds at the latter naturally reducing the bouncing.

Sainz continued by adding his voice to the growing number of drivers questioning why, in the technologically advanced F1 paddock, drivers are still forced to endure the discomfort of violently bouncing along the ground.

The Spanish driver questioned: "Is it really necessary that we are having to do these things with the technology that we have nowadays in the world and in motorsport in general, to have to go through this process?

"But everyone is listening to us and I am pretty sure that everyone is going to take steps for the future. "

Additional reporting by Ian Parkes