The FIA have confirmed that they will take steps to reduce or eliminate porpoising in F1. It comes after some drivers were left suffering with back pain during and after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton was amongst the drivers who called for FIA intervention following the race in Baku with Esteban Ocon claiming that support was growing amongst drivers. On Thursday afternoon, the FIA confirmed that they had decided, in the interest of safety, to intervene with adjustments that they say should reduce or eliminate porpoising. They have done so following consultations with doctors and in response to feedback received from drivers during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend.
How the FIA plan to 'reduce or eliminate porpoising'
A statement released by the FIA ahead of Canadian Grand Prix weekend reads: A Technical Directive has been issued to give guidance to the teams about the measures the FIA intends to take to tackle the problem. These include: 1. Closer scrutiny of the planks and skids, both in terms of their design and the observed wear. 2. The definition of a metric, based on the car’s vertical acceleration, that will give a quantitative limit for acceptable level of vertical oscillations. The exact mathematical formula for this metric is still being analysed by the FIA, and the Formula 1 teams have been invited to contribute to this process. The FIA will also convene a technical meeting with teams prior to track action in Montreal, in order to define measures that will "reduce the propensity of cars to exhibit such phenomena in the medium term."
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