Further developments surrounding porpoising – and how to control its effects – are expected ahead of this weekend's French Grand Prix. RacingNews365.com understands from an FIA source that the governing body are holding high-level talks over the issue on Wednesday. Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA's Single Seater Technical Director, is set to be involved in the discussions, along with the wider safety department. It comes after the Grand Prix Drivers' Association is understood to have surveyed its full membership – which comprises all 20 F1 drivers – on the matter of porpoising and car stiffness, with the overwhelming majority urging the FIA to make changes. Following Wednesday's meeting, the FIA are expected to provide an update to team bosses throughout the F1 paddock.
Porpoising has been a hot topic since testing
Porpoising returned to F1 in 2022 following significant changes to the technical regulations and the move to a 'ground effect' philosophy. Following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where the effects were particularly severe, the FIA took the decision to intervene in an attempt to protect the drivers. Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo and a number of other drivers noted back pain at the end of that race, with Pierre Gasly revealing he used painkillers to get through the weekend. From there, a Technical Directive was issued, aimed at tackling porpoising and preventing teams from running a car that could put their drivers at risk (i.e. if a car bounces too much or too severely, the ride height must be raised or a team would risk disqualification). These measures were initially due to come into force at the French Grand Prix, before being pushed back to Belgium – when F1 returns from its summer break. Beyond this, the FIA are looking at making a series of adjustments to the technical regulations for 2023 to combat the issue.
Most read
