Photo: LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd
Have you ever heard of ‘porpoising’? We don’t blame you if you haven’t, because it is not a frequent occurrence, especially in Formula 1, where hybrid era cars (up until now) had so much downforce pressing them into the asphalt.
Things are different now though, with F1 moving to a new set of regulations, resulting in ground-effect cars that, as all teams would find out last week, are susceptible to porpoising, meaning bouncing up and down the straights at high speed.
This issue also occurred back in the early 1980s and is triggered by downforce pushing the car further and further down before the airflow causes a stall and the car suddenly rises because of the abrupt loss in load, as reported by Motorsport.
It’s extremely uncomfortable for the drivers and it looks ridiculous too, so teams need to figure out a solution fast. Also, the fact that F1 banned sophisticated hydraulic suspension systems doesn’t help with this problem, which is something Mercedes driver George Russell understands very well, especially after his team had to fit temporary floor stays in order to limit flexing.
Russell believes that the simplest way to get rid of porpoising is by yet again adopting active suspension systems.
“We just saw with the Charles video just how bad it was for them. So, I think we will need to find a solution.”
“I guess if active suspension was there, it could be solved with a click of your fingers. And the cars would naturally be a hell of a lot faster if we had that,” said the young British driver. “I’m sure all the teams are capable of that, so that could be one for the future. But let’s see in Bahrain. I’m sure the teams will come up with some smart ideas around this issue.”
Active suspension systems were banned in F1 ahead of the 1994 season, as the sport attempted to eliminate several driver aids.
McLaren technical director James Key also believes active suspension systems would be a positive thing for F1 to consider in the long term, “but, with the cost cap, it’s not the best project to be doing,” he concluded.
This issue also occurred back in the early 1980s and is triggered by downforce pushing the car further and further down before the airflow causes a stall and the car suddenly rises because of the abrupt loss in load, as reported by Motorsport.
It’s extremely uncomfortable for the drivers and it looks ridiculous too, so teams need to figure out a solution fast. Also, the fact that F1 banned sophisticated hydraulic suspension systems doesn’t help with this problem, which is something Mercedes driver George Russell understands very well, especially after his team had to fit temporary floor stays in order to limit flexing.
Russell believes that the simplest way to get rid of porpoising is by yet again adopting active suspension systems.
“We just saw with the Charles video just how bad it was for them. So, I think we will need to find a solution.”
“I guess if active suspension was there, it could be solved with a click of your fingers. And the cars would naturally be a hell of a lot faster if we had that,” said the young British driver. “I’m sure all the teams are capable of that, so that could be one for the future. But let’s see in Bahrain. I’m sure the teams will come up with some smart ideas around this issue.”
Active suspension systems were banned in F1 ahead of the 1994 season, as the sport attempted to eliminate several driver aids.
McLaren technical director James Key also believes active suspension systems would be a positive thing for F1 to consider in the long term, “but, with the cost cap, it’s not the best project to be doing,” he concluded.
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