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“No Laughs Again”: Fans Take F1 to Task as Lando Norris’ Onboard Exposes Treacherous Track Conditions Putting Drivers’ Health at Risk

Published 06/17/2023, 11:15 AM EDT

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F1 and the FIA have taken some questionable decisions in the past. Be it decisions that change the outcome of races or deciding on adding new tracks to the race calendar, they have made some unpopular decisions. The Canadian GP track is now proving to be named F1’s latest mistake, at least by the fans. Though Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is one of the most iconic tracks, Lando Norris‘ onboard camera revealed why the track conditions are a hazard.

Going into Canada, all the teams and drivers knew that the Montreal track would be a challenging one. And all of them were right, as the track is not a smooth one. The practice sessions show just how bumpy the track is. The onboard cameras show how much the cars are bouncing off due to several bumps. It is as if someone has turned the clock back to the beginning of 2022, with all cars porpoising down the straights. But this time, it is the track surface that is to be blamed and not the car design.

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The onboard from Norris’ McLaren clearly shows the effect of the uneven track, as the MCL60 bobs along the straight. Cars going at speeds north of 300km/h plus a bumpy track – that is one equation that should not exist. The official F1 Twitter page captioned the post “Moving up and down, side to side, like a rollercoaster”. It was a throwback to the 2021 Austrian GP where Norris sang the lyrics to ‘Stop it’ by Fisher, during a radio check.

But fans were not impressed with the choice of the caption as they criticized F1 for curating a track that does not even consider the ill effects on drivers.

Fans Bash F1 as Lando Norris ‘Porpoises’ in Canada

F1 shared Norris’ onboard with a witty caption, but fans were unimpressed. The commentator even compared Norris’ ride to a Rollercoaster. Would we call it a rollercoaster? Not quite. Rollercoasters are supposed to be fun and carefree, but this is the opposite. No one wants to see their favorite drivers having to unnecessarily risk their life on track. Post the FP2 session, even Lewis Hamilton complained that the track is very “bumpy”. Here is what the fans had to say about the video:

While this isn’t the first time, F1 drivers are dealing with bumpy track surfaces, several fans seem to be concerned about the drivers’ health. That is definitely a big point of contention given how badly porpoising affected many drivers.

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Read More: “No Track Suits Us”: After Questioning McLaren’s “DNA”, Lando Norris Delivers Another Brutal Reality Check

From Lando & McLaren’s perspective, they certainly would have loved a smoother ride to make some development on their pace deficit.

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Despite an ill-timed caption, it becomes a bit easier on the mind when one looks at the lighter side of things. After 2 long years, Lando Norris finally manifested his dreams of “Moving like a Rollercoaster” on the racetrack. Though this is not how anyone would want it including Norris.

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Written by:

Yash Kotak

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Yash is a F1 writer at EssentiallySports. With a strong passion for communicating through written word and a keen interest in the world of motorsports, he thoroughly enjoys being a fan of F1 and covering it for other fans. Ever since he watched the 'INSIDE TRACKS' episode covering the 2018 German Grand Prix, he has fallen in love with the intriguingly complex world of F1.
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Edited by:

Aishwary Gaonkar