Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff says drivers risk ‘brain injuries’ if the FIA’s proposed anti-porpassing rules for 2023 are blocked. .
At least six teams, led by Ferrari and Red Bull, have opposed the proposed changes, but Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff is leading the call for the rules on safety grounds.
“The final discussion and proposal regarding floor changes, in my opinion, has nothing to do with safety,” Scuderia AlphaTauri F1 team principal Franz Tost said in Hungary.
“It’s just politics.”
In fact, Red Bull Racing F1 team principal Christian Horner said that Toto Wolff was “lobbing” the FIA for changes on safety grounds to benefit Mercedes F1 in terms of performance. accused of being
Toto Wolff denies that theory.
“I still believe the FIA and all of us have to do something about it.”
“Frequencies between 1 and 1 hertz for a few minutes can damage the brain. Frequencies between 6 and 7 hertz for hours,” Wolff said.
The FIA has proposed raising the floor edge by 25mm for the 2023 season, which could have the most severe impact on the performance of 2022 pacesetters Red Bull and Ferrari.
Mercedes’ opponents claim the porpoise problem has become less of an issue in recent races.
“That[argument]doesn’t count,” argues Wolff, “because Silverstone, Paul Ricard and Austria aren’t tracks we bounce that much anyway.
“I don’t want to go to Spa or some races after the track isn’t as smooth as a traditional racetrack and nothing was done about it.
“There’s a lot of talk about two-way lobbying, but what are we talking about here anyway?” he added, referring to the driver safety debate.
