Norris has constant back pain due to the bounces of his McLaren

Lando Norris explained last weekend in Monza that he has been consistently suffering from back pain since the introduction of rebound effects on the cars in 2022.

« I have to stretch in the morning and evening, before each session. If I don’t do it, I always have a lot more trouble with my back,” said McLaren driver. « It’s not just because of the races. I’m generally sensitive in my back anyway. But some changes to the car in the past two years certainly haven’t helped.”

« The worst was last year; Every day I struggled to sleep and everything… just a constant pain. I think a lot of things have already been put in place, like having a better seat. So it’s less worse this year than last year. »

All drivers train physically between each Grand Prix, especially during the off-season. If they used to focus on their reflexes, overall physical condition, and neck in particular, they now also take into account the work on their back.

The pain suffered by Norris impacts him in his daily life, especially when he had to do the track walk on foot. « There are many things that I do differently or not at all. I play less golf, I do more physiotherapy. Doing the track walk, for example, was sometimes complicated, so I reduced the time spent around the circuit. »

(I am in much better condition today. But I still have back pain and doing running, cycling, or golfing still causes me pain.)

The ride heights of the F1 cars were increased in mid-2022 to reduce the venturi effect that causes bouncing. With more air between the ground and the floor, the bouncing is supposed to be reduced. However, they still persist and some teams are no longer focusing on this issue. Thus, André Strella, the director of McLaren, believes that he knows about this problem and although work is “in progress” to fix it, it will not be resolved in the next few weeks.

« We are aware of Lando’s back problem. We are closely monitoring it. In order to improve his pain, he must also better understand how his body works and adapt both in the cockpit and outside. On the team’s side, we have things that we can improve, but we do not yet know how to implement them. It is truly a work in progress and there will not be a revolution anyway. »

Stella still jokes about golf, which seems to captivate her pilot: « We hope that things will gradually improve, thanks to the work that Lando is doing and the changes he’s making in his lifestyle, which, I know, must be very, very difficult for such a passionate golfer! »