The answer is yes- more so from some teams than others- especially for Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton.
Since 2014, Mercedes and notably Lewis Hamilton, have been the dominant force in Formula One. Only twice in those intervening years has another driver won the world championship–Nico Rosberg in 2015 and Max Verstappen (in highly contested style) in 2021.
But things have changed, mainly because Mercedes no longer has the advantage it has had for years with its car. Many predicted what has come to pass, namely, that the 2022 regulations would change the competitive landscape. One issue is having a significant impact. For unknown reasons, when driving along a straight line, drivers are experiencing what they call porpoising, that is, bouncing, which makes it difficult to regain the downforce in the car.
Porpoising is especially problematic at bumpy circuits; drivers experienced it last weekend in Azerbaijan. The problem is also causing several drivers to experience spinal issues. Hamilton, for one, could barely climb out of the car following the end of last Sunday’s race.
Bouncing issues are prominent in why Hamilton is no longer a major factor in this year’s Drivers Championship–at least to this point in the season. Hamilton is currently #6 in the standings, nearly 100 points behind leader Verstappen and 30+ points behind teammate George Russell, who is currently logged in at #4.
Mercedes and Hamilton are not alone in raising concerns. McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo might have finished in the top ten at the last race but felt that the bouncing he experienced was like an NBA basketball player dribbling his head or a prizefighter getting hit after so many punches. That said, porpoising is not affecting all teams equally. There is talk that Red Bull may have changed the ride height in the car, which could answer why bouncing is less of a problem for Verstappen and his partner Sergio Perez.
It is likely that porpoising will be evident again this week at the Canadian GP in Montreal. That is because the final back straight is similar to what drivers/teams experienced in Baku last weekend.
Formula One needs to address and resolve this issue soon, either this season (perhaps during the summer break) or by the beginning of the 2023 season.
To bad, maybe they can come up with an inflatable insert in the seat itself.