Even before the 2022 season started there was concerns over whether porpoising would pose a safety risk for drivers, after videos showed the effects the 'aerodynamic oscillation' phenomenon would have on drivers in the cockpit. Initially the FIA put a limit on the amount of vertical oscillations that a team's car could be subjected to, the governing body announcing closer scrutiny of planks and skid blocks along with introducing a metric that could be used to measure a car’s vertical acceleration. The FIA also announced a clamp down on 'flexi floors' which was mooted to be one of the key areas exploited for performance for Red Bull and Ferrari. This was introduced at the Belgium Grand Prix, although it seems to have not had as much of an effect on performance as it seemed.
Wolff: New tech regs have "clearly improved performance at Red Bull!"
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff believes the changes have only made Red Bull stronger, as Max Verstappen has shown dominant pace so far since the summer break. "The new technical guidelines have clearly improved performance at Red Bull!" he scoffed speaking to media, including RacingNews365.com . "There is there is no such thing that suddenly a team gains or loses half a second, just because of a tiny change in regulations. "I don't know if the rule clarifications had an effect on Ferrari, but I doubt it played a role. Rules are rules. We just have to do better. We have to live up to our own expectations and beat Red Bull with their rules." Mercedes have so far blamed their lack of performance on tyre warm-up issues and aerodynamic drag, however George Russell has remained optimistic over their chances at winning this season.
Ferrari performance unaffected by rule directive
Even though the F1-75 seems to suffer from porpoising more than rivals on the straights, Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto says the effects from the rule changes have been "negligible." "No, that is absolutely not the case. I don't know what it has done to the other teams, but at Ferrari the effect has been negligible," said Binotto. "In Belgium, Red Bull just had a better package in terms of efficiency. On top of that, they had better tire wear there, so it had nothing to do with the technical guidelines. "There are a lot of rumors about that, but the new guidelines have nothing to do with our performance. In Hungary we were [just] not good enough. "We have to look at our package or the balance we choose. There is more potential in our car, as we saw at the beginning of the year, but at the moment it is not showing up."
Not changed how Red Bull setup their car
With talk turning to when Max Verstappen will take the championship, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner said the team has been unconcerned about the increased scrutiny over floors. "There was a lot of talk about the technical guidelines and a lot of expectations. It may have harmed other teams more than Red Bull. We have not changed the way we set up the car," said the Briton. This comes after Red Bull came to a compromise with other teams on the planned ride height increases for 2023.
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