Hamilton: W14 rear end and 'bouncing' biggest issues in Belgian GP

©Mercedes

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Lewis Hamilton rued the return in Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix of Mercedes' old nemesis, porpoising, which along with rear end instability challenged the Briton's efforts at Spa.

Although outpaced by both Red Bulls and by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, Hamilton managed to hang on to fourth, the Briton crossing the checkered well adrift from the Monegasque but a comfortable 17 seconds ahead of Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, while also bagging the fastest race lap and a bonus championship point.

While 'porpoising' or bouncing have rarely been mentioned by the Brackley squad since the team's drastic overhaul of its W14 design back in May, the phenomenon was back with a vengeance at Spa, and was present everywhere around the lap according to Hamilton.

"I think it was kind of a non-eventful race, there wasn’t much really going on, I wasn’t able to keep up with the cars ahead of me," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.

"I struggled at the beginning, rear end is our biggest issue. Then we had big bouncing this weekend, so we are back to the bouncing like we had last year.

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"So at the end I was keeping the Ferrari within a few seconds but I couldn’t get any closer to that battle.

"Then to get the fastest lap at the end, it was nice to have the gap to the car behind, it was decent. But it was gusty today and it was very difficult out there and difficult to keep it on track."

©Mercedes

Regarding his car's bouncing problems, Hamilton said Mercedes would take a close look this at what can be done to iron out the issue for the next race.

"They [Mercedes] don’t know [what caused the bouncing] and to me it is a concern, but we will work through the data this week and try to figure out what we do before the next race," he said.

"But I don’t really have much more answers for you. I know what I want and I am praying for it, I am just waiting for the day that we get it."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.