Several teams have faced during the first two days of preseason in Barcelona (Spain) the consequences of ” porpoising “, or what is the same: the effect that causes the car to bounce on its own suspension when it reaches a high speed in the straight ones
This was common in Formula 1’s past and is created when the downforce below the ground absorbs the car more and more as it accelerates down the straights, before the airflow suddenly stops, either by a change in air pressure or because the lower part of the car comes into direct contact with the ground.
Once this happens, the car immediately loses its extra downforce and rises briefly, before being sucked back in to start a new cycle already described.
As well as porpoising being uncomfortable for drivers, it can also be a big problem in high-speed corners if it occurs, as cars suddenly lose whatever downforce they have.
Ferrari director Mattia Binotto acknowledged it was something few teams had anticipated after analyzing data from his CFD and wind tunnel work.
“I think most of us at least underestimated the problem, in terms of running on track and bouncing more than expected,” said Binotto when asked by Motorsport.com about the problem they are facing in these tests.
“When you’re setting up these ground effect cars, everything is different. It’s a continuous learning process.”
Binotto said getting rid of porpoising entirely was a relatively simple thing to do, as it could be achieved by raising the chassis height.
However, the situation is complicated because the teams are aware that they will get more performance by running as close to the asphalt as possible, which leaves them exposed to this problem.
“I think fixing it can be quite simple,” Binotto said. “We have to try to prevent the car from bouncing by making the most of the performance of the car, but at the same time we also have to optimize the performance and that could be a bit more complicated.”
“I’m pretty sure at some point the team will find the solution. How long will it take? I don’t know, but whoever does it first will have an advantage early in the season.”
It is rumored that the problem of porpoising is one of the keys that has affected these first two days of testing for Alfa Romeo, which today, Thursday, has once again had limited running-in.
Swiss team principal Fred Vasseur was optimistic they could find a solution before reaching the next test in Bahrain, and backed Binotto’s view that if the problem is fixed they could achieve better lap times.
“Some aspects are not easy to evaluate in the wind tunnel or in the simulator, and we all face the same problem,” said Hinwill’s team manager.
“Fixing the problem is not the most important thing, the key will be to be efficient afterwards. The speed with which the team reacts will be the key for the first few races,” concluded Alfa Romeo .
