Lewis Hamilton finished 4th at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but hurt his back during the race.- The "porpoising" in the Mercedes car got worse on the bouncy and fast Baku circuit.
Lewis Hamilton just missed a podium, finishing fourth at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku Sunday, but that masked a bigger problem as his car's bouncing has become so bad that it is actually injuring his back.
"Porpoising" — where Formula One cars start bouncing when reaching high speeds — has plagued most teams to varying degrees this season, but Mercedes has struggled the most. Those problems reached a new level in Baku, where the street circuit is already bumpy and has the longest straight of the season, thus seeing some of the highest speeds of the year.
After the race, Hamilton spoke about how bad the race was on his back.
"That was the worst race ever," Hamilton said. "Probably the most painful race I have experienced and the toughest battle with the car I have ever experienced as well. I'm glad it's over."
Midway through the race, Hamilton was heard on the radio yelling in pain and shouting, "my back is killing me!"
After the race, cameras caught Hamilton struggling to get out of his car as he was clearly in pain.
Hamilton was not the only driver in pain after the race. His teammate, George Russell, who finished third behind winner Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez of Red Bull, also said he was experiencing back pain after the race.
McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo said the bouncing was the worst he had experienced all season.
"I certainly experienced bouncing, or porpoising, bad for the first time today," Ricciardo said. "I feel very, very sorry for everybody who has experienced it all year. I can't speak badly enough about it. It's bad."
After the race, Hamilton sounded exasperated that the issue is not only still a problem, but it doesn't seem to be improving.
"It's such a tough year," Hamilton said. "We've had this bouncing since the beginning, and it's just not gotten any better ... I don't know what to expect in these next races, but we've got to start making improvements."