Hamilton did not exaggerate his back pain according to Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo believed that Lewis Hamilton did not exaggerate his back pain after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Discussions are expected to take place during the drivers' briefing before the Canadian Grand Prix.
In the streets of Baku last week, dolphin-ing was more present than ever. Especially for one team: Mercedes. The German team was once again the team most affected by the bumps, which resulted in constant discomfort for the drivers, especially for Lewis Hamilton who visibly had a very sore back after the race.
We saw the British driver struggling to get out of his W13 at the end of the race. While some immediately judged that the seven-time world champion was exaggerating for the cameras, for Daniel Ricciardo, there is no doubt that Hamilton was genuinely hurt in the back and was not feigning his discomfort.
(I) I have seen some of his onboard cameras, I have seen pictures of him getting out of the car and stretching his back, and he wasn’t exaggerating. It was really uncomfortable. The good thing is that it’s very visible. If you have the sound of the car, you can hear it bouncing and bouncing, and from the images you can see the helmet moving too. It’s not normal and comfortable. The position in the car, we don’t have much room to move, so we are not prepared for impacts, declares the Australian.
Like many other drivers, Ricciardo fears that injuries could be caused by these bounces. « Whether it’s due to the rule change or the way teams are installing the cars, I’m not 100% sure. But I wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt or experience unnecessary pain. We’ve been talking about it throughout the season, but since Baku was a big moment, I’m sure we’ll discuss it during the drivers’ briefing on Friday at the Canadian Grand Prix. »
Meanwhile, the dolphin-fly could make a strong comeback on the bumpy track of the Gilles Villeneuve circuit this weekend. Lewis Hamilton will be part of the game, as confirmed by both him and his team.
