'Porpoising' rule change bid will fail – Haug

Jun.15 (GMM) Mercedes’ push for rule changes to end the new ‘porpoising’ phenomenon in Formula 1 is likely to fail.

That is the view of the German marque’s former F1 boss Norbert Haug, even though Mercedes’ argument is based on safety in light of Lewis Hamilton’s visible back problems after Baku.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner, though, said he is not interested in helping Mercedes.

“They can always screw a thicker floor on the car if they want to,” he said.

“And all of us decide for ourselves how high you want to run the car. That would be the first and the simplest solution.”

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, however, says those changes wouldn’t work.

Horner insists: “Of course there are solutions, it’s just that they’re at the expense of performance.

“So the easiest thing to do is complain.”

Popular British commentator Martin Brundle insists that the complaints are unlikely to result in rival teams leaping to Mercedes’ assistance.

“I don’t want to downplay what Lewis and George (Russell) are going through, but asking the other teams to change the rules to help Mercedes is like asking a turkey to vote for Christmas,” he said.

Former Mercedes boss Haug agrees.

“I can’t imagine that there will be a rule change,” he told Sky Deutschland. “Especially as Red Bull has already pointed out that it would be unfair.

“I don’t think Mercedes’ problem can be solved in the short term.”

Haug thinks Mercedes came unstuck when its earlier engine advantage ended, resulting in engineers and designers penning a “revolutionary aerodynamic concept” for the 2022 rules.

“That’s why Mercedes, in the truest sense of the word, is the most shaken,” said the German.

“In the wind tunnel it works, but when the ground effect keeps breaking, it’s kind of like riding a jackhammer. And this will not be remedied by changing the regulations,” Haug explained.

“It’s a tough time for them now, but they’ll sort things out. Maybe they’ll have to completely rethink the aerodynamic concept but I think we’ll be fast at Silverstone.”