The 2022 cars brought huge changes on a technical level, forcing the teams to start from a blank sheet of paper. The drawings that emerged, however, had more than a few differences. And these have been felt since the beginning of the championship. Complicating matters was also the limited time to test the various solutions and a "defect" in the construction of these ground-legal single-seaters, which was not detectable in the wind tunnel and was difficult to resolve, i.e. the pouring. To solve the problem and eliminate it permanently World Motor Sport Council met last August 16th. It was on the discussion table approval of the regulatory changes not only for 2023 but also for the second half of the 2022 season.
The controversy
The goodness of the projects Red Bull e Ferrari they gave the teams a minimum margin to work with, not having to upset the car to reduce the "bouncing" problem. Different story for Mercedes, the most "ballerina" of the three, so much to carry Toto wolff at the doors of the FIA, to request a measure to protect the health of (its) pilots. In fact, not everyone complained about particular problems or pain, and for this very reason Toto Wolff had defined the main opponents of his political battle as "false" or "pitiful".
According to the Mercedes Team Principal, Ferrari and Red Bull would have tried to downplay the issue to defend their own advantage. Second Christian Horner and Mattia Binotto instead it was Mercedes that was playing dirty, clamoring for a measure that would partially resolve the defects of the W13 project, forcing the others to adapt. All this when in fact, Mercedes could have raised the car to avoid the problem. The issue as expected continued to grow until the final decision to counter this phenomenon through the introduction of a directive which will not only give a single direction for 2023 but will also impose a change of course for 2022, through some changes in the regulation which they will start from the next Grand Prix, in Belgium.
A problem that no longer exists
However, what has caused people to turn up their noses more than the controversy is the fact that Mercedes seems to have solved this problem with modifications and solutions that have effectively made it possible to recover that project born with some youthful mistakes. Porpoising now seems like a thing of the past but the FIA has shown itself to be adamant, continuing the procedure to redefine the regulation and the solutions to obtain greater safety.
New standards approved for security
After a long discussion the FIA put all the anti-porpoising changes in black and white in a press release which also sanctioned the regulation for the new generation of Power Units which will see the light in 2026.
What's new regarding porpoising and security? The innovations concern various areas of the single-seaters with the minimum weight of the cars that will be reduced from 798 to 796 kg; to the temperature of the petrol, which must not be less than 10°C lower than the ambient temperature, contrary to the threshold of 20°C currently in use; passing through the aerodynamic innovations and the further changes to the plank. However, the most important changes concern the issue of safety, with the introduction of new structural parameters for the roll-hoop, taking Guanyu Zhou's accident at Silverstone for example. The design of this one will be more rounded and will be subjected to a specific crash test.
"Safety is the highest priority for the FIA and we have dedicated significant time and resources to analyzing and resolving the porpoising issue.” Ben Sulayem said. “I have personally discussed the issue with all the teams and drivers. But while obviously there are some differences of opinion due to the different competitive positions, it is very clear that the FIA has a duty to act and ensure that the drivers do not run the risk of injury due to this phenomenon".
"It seemed clear that an update of the roll hoop safety requirements after Zhou's accident at Silverstone. And, while this accident showed us all how extraordinary the safety systems in Formula 1 are, it also revealed once again that we must continue to analyze security issues without compromise".
Also qthose anti-porpoising
As regards porpoising, the regulation provides for some aerodynamic innovations, some of which will already start from Spa. From the next Grand Prix it will change the flexibility of the central skate with a stiffening of the dashboard skids and the measurement of wear.
For 2023 the edges of the sidewalks will be modified, which they will be 15 mm higher, as well as the fund that it will also have to be more rigid. The speaker will also undergo changes; the height of the groove from the ground will in fact be greater, as will the rigidity of the edges. An accelerometer supplied by a company designated by the FIA will also be introduced, to allow the Federation to collect data to carry out dynamic analyses, including aerodynamic rebound monitoring, to better measure possible porpoising.
Source: FormulaPassion
Statement source: F1 World
