Lewis Hamilton has revealed he has been suffering from headaches over the past months as a result of the bouncing effect on the W13.
In the wake of the announcement of a new FIA technical directive designed to reduce the porpoising effect, the seven-time World Champion has been speaking about the damage it has done to his body over the course of this season.
In Baku last weekend, Hamilton was visibly in pain as he exited the cockpit of his car and speaking ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver admitted he had noticed an increase in the amount of headaches he has suffered in recent months.
The 37-year-old also told the media he did not believe it was due to his age and noted he had sustained a lot more bruising as well.
“There’s a lot more bruising after the races nowadays so it’s taking you most of the week generally to recover,” he said.
“I don’t think that generally has anything to do with age. It’s just because the bruising can be quite severe.
“When you’re experiencing 10Gs on the bounce on a bump, which is what I experienced in the last race, that’s a heavy, heavy load on the lower part and the top part of your neck.
“In terms of micro concussions, I’ve definitely been having a lot more headaches in the past months, but I’ve not seen a specialist about it.
“I’m not taking it too seriously; I’ve just been taking some painkillers.”
Hamilton, alongside his team-mate George Russell, were the two drivers who campaigned hardest for something to be done and while the likes of Max Verstappen, whose Red Bull car does not suffer as badly from the issue, did not welcome the new technical directive, Hamilton said there was no need for long term injuries.
“I cannot stress more how important health is for us,” he said.
“I think we’ve got an amazing sport here. But the safety has to be the most important thing.
“I definitely feel like I’m a little bit shorter this week. The discs [in my back] are definitely not in the best shape right now.
“That’s not good for longevity. There are things that we can do to improve that for all the drivers here… there is no need for long-term injuries.”
The new directive will monitor the car’s vertical acceleration in order to decide if the porpoising is unhealthy for the driver.
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