Mercedes cannot rely on F1 rivals to save them from bouncing nightmare, says Martin Brundle

Martin Brundle has told Mercedes they cannot rely on their Formula One rivals bailing them out of their bouncing issues.

Lewis Hamilton suffered significant pain in his back after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in which the seven-time world champion’s car juddered constantly down the long home straight.

Other drivers on the grid have complained of the issue, although Mercedes with Hamilton’s setup for the race in Baku have been particularly affected and ex-F1 driver Brundle believes the team pressing for a rule change to solve the problem is wishful thinking.

He told Sky Sports News: “Generally, we had porpoising back in the 1980s. When you have these ground effect cars, it's always been in issue. It is still in sports car racing; I was at Les Mans and in the prototypes there they have porpoising and ground effect issues in terms of bouncing. It needs managing.

“To ask the other teams to change the regulations to help Mercedes, is a bit like asking a turkey to vote for Christmas.

“I'm not underplaying what George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are going through, because it does look particularly painful.

“And the Ferrari drivers, just at the crucial braking points, that looks plain tricky to me - I don't know how they go into the corners, frankly.”

Brundle is adamant that Mercedes can unlock the car’s full potential once they solve their bouncing problems, Russell and Hamilton having finished third and fourth respectively on the weekend.

He noted: “If it was something that was affecting everybody, then yes, [the regulations should change] on the grounds of safety, but you can see that some cars are absolutely fine, and others are struggling.

“Therefore, I think the emphasis is on the team to sort it out as opposed to changing the regulations. It's something that they're struggling with, it's not something that our drivers are complaining about.

“I think it would be unfair if there was a change just because they've missed the target.”