The FIA have issued teams with a pre-British Grand Prix update regarding their plan to tackle vertical oscillation (porpoising) in Formula 1. It was made clear to teams by way of a Technical Directive (TD) ahead of the race in Montreal, two weeks ago, that the FIA will intervene to protect their drivers from the effects of the bouncing phenomenon. The decision was made following a race in Azerbaijan that left Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly complaining of pain cause by the oscillations. The FIA then set about gathering data for analysis, while the TD warned teams that they could soon be disqualified from races should their cars be found to be bouncing too often or too severely.
F1 teams issued with deadline
Ahead of the race in Silverstone, F1 teams have been told that the FIA are now moving onto the next phase of their plan with their porpoising analysis complete. The conclusion of that analysis has allowed the FIA to determine a metric by which the bouncing of cars will be measured, the updated TD confirms. That metric has been shared with teams who will have "the next two Grands Prix" (Great Britain and Austria) to implement changes before the clampdown will begin during the French Grand Prix weekend. The FIA has also updated the parameters relating to plank wear and skid stiffness, which are inherently related to porpoising and, they say, go "hand-in-hand" with their new metric. These changes have been viewed as "necessary" in order to provide a level playing field between the teams when the metric is implemented at Circuit Paul Riccard.
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