The reintroduction of ground effect for the 2022 season has seen the return of a phenomenon known as ” porpoising “, an up and down movement of the car that occurs when the car reaches high speeds on the straight.
This phenomenon was already a problem for Formula 1 cars in the early 1980s, when ground effect was last in effect.
Jean-Claude Migeot , former head of aerodynamics at Tyrrell, explained that the limitations that teams currently have in terms of Formula 1 suspensions will mean that each team will have to focus all their research to find a solution to porpoising through its aerodynamic development.
“Finding a solution on the mechanical side, bearing in mind that active suspension is prohibited, leaves very little freedom,” Migeot told Motorsport.com.
“On the other hand, you can’t overlook optimizing the static forces that get the car in the best possible position in the corners. That’s a strategic thing.”
“On the suspension side it is very difficult to find a solution, unless you make some invention, like at the time it was the skirts or an inerter that could perhaps help, but that is also prohibited.”
“So the solution has to be in the wind tunnel. They have to look at those forces and optimize them along with the static ones, but I’m afraid this will take a while,” he added.
Migeot explained that porpoising occurs when the downforce at top speed on the bottom of the car is so high that it causes a “rolling” motion.
Adding that, if the teams do not find a solution to porpoising , it could have “tragic” consequences when Formula 1 visits more problematic circuits, that is, with a more uneven tarmac, which is why the FIA should react before it is afternoon.
“It’s going to be tragic on bumpy tracks, especially in the race, because when they brake suddenly to overtake they’re going to make that phenomenon even more accentuated,” he said.
“I think the FIA will react sooner. If no one finds a good solution in a reasonable timeframe, the FIA will and should react.”
“I hope I’m wrong, of course, because otherwise it would be a nasty surprise.”
“They’ve relied heavily on downforce being created under the car, almost completely removing the underbody panels.
“That may have been the reason for all these problems. But if they add that back, the downforce will drop and that’s not what this new regulation is looking for,” he concluded.
