Dispute over Hopel cars: World union granted grace period

In a dispute over the stopping of Formula 1 cars, the world federation Fia has granted racing teams a grace period for two more races.

Silverstone – From the French Grand Prix on July 24, there should be clear limits to the technical impact that many drivers had already complained about heavily. In the upcoming races at Silverstone and Austria, teams should still have time for the analysis needed to implement the changes, as announced by the FIA.

The technical problem with hopping is caused by vehicles that have changed significantly this season. Cars are pushed to the ground, a stall occurs, they touch down and are pushed back up. This is repeated several times in seconds. And right where the cars are traveling fastest. Drivers have to face frequent collisions in the cockpit and hence there is a fear of damage to their health.

Some teams like Mercedes are more impressed than others, with record world champion Lewis Hamilton. This has led to controversy about the extent to which it is appropriate to force all racing teams to make possible changes to their cars. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff recently accused his colleagues at Red Bull and Ferrari in Canada of behaving “pathetic” and “disrespectful” to prevent the problem from being resolved. DPA