Formula 1’s governing body has provided some details about its plan to limit the amount Formula 1 cars can “bounce” based on safety grounds. The move comes after several drivers requested the FIA to take action on this matter, that has become a problem since the start of the 2022 Formula One season because of the rules and regulations these new cars are based on.
The FIA has come up with a metric which indicates the maximum amount of bouncing a car will be allowed to do. This check will begin at the French Grand Prix on 22-24 July in order for teams to have enough time to prepare and adjust their cars.
Drivers are worried about possible heath issues, both short and long term, which may result due to the aero effect. The “bouncing” problem has appeared this season because the new technical rules are based on a phenomenon known as “ground effect”, that requires cars to be run very stiff and as low as possible for the best possible pace and performance.
Since the beginning of the 2022 Formula 1 championship, several drivers confirmed they feels this behaviour of the cars has been creating physical problems for them, especially Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who was subjected to vertical forces as high as 10G during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit a few weeks ago.
There are two related but separate issues – “porpoising”, an aerodynamic phenomenon caused by underbody airflow disruption, which leads to a high-frequency vertical oscillation; and “bouncing”, caused when the cars’ floors hit the circuit. There are teams more affected by this issue than others, as Mercedes seem to be at the more extreme end of the scale, but drivers from all teams have expressed their concerns on the issue behind closed doors.
The FIA measured the behaviour of all cars at the Canadian Grand Prix two weeks ago.
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In recent official statement issues earlier today, just a few days ahead of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, the FIA informed that its “analysis of vertical oscillation data has concluded, and we have defined a metric by which to monitor this. The update has been sent to teams to allow them to conduct their own analysis over the next two grands prix to understand what, if any, changes they may need to implement in order to be compliant when the technical directive becomes effective as of the French Grand Prix.” – the statement informs.
The FIA also confirmed that the directive set new limits relating to the wear of the underbody plank – a device fitted to the floor of the cars to limit how low they can be run – and to the stiffness of cars’ underbody titanium skid plates, “which are inherently related to the same issue, and go hand-in-hand with the metric. These changes are necessary in order to provide a level playing field between the teams when the metric is implemented.”
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