Porpoising is back: what does it mean?

The Formula 1 teams are busy with the test days in Barcelona. While they have been putting together the car in detail over the past few months, it appears that they have not taken into account the so-called porpoising. It is causing the teams major problems, but what is it really?

It all has to do with the downforce of the cars. The cars of the previous seasons generated the downforce mainly with the front and rear wing, but due to the new regulations the FIA has changed this a lot. The current cars must provide downforce by means of the so-called ground effect.

The Venturi tunnels under the car have to bring the air under the cars while driving. These tunnels cause the cars to be sucked towards the ground, a way known as the ground effect. It works very well, but on the straights a problem suddenly arose in Barcelona.

Because of the speed the drivers are making, the air is pumped through the Venturi tunnels faster and faster on the straights, causing the cars to be closer and closer to the road. After a short period of time, the downforce falls away and the cars shoot up again. In this way we get an effect where the drivers go up and down again until they enter another corner.

Ho-Pin Tung already addressed the new phenomenon on Thursday. The racing driver explained on Twitter that it is an undamped movement on the tire that causes problems. According to him, this is due to the fact that the cars are a lot stiffer than in previous seasons.

Dit is zogenaamde “purposing”, oftewel ongedempte beweging op band. Iets dat we dit jaar vaker zullen zien. Zoals gezegd in vorige Tweet zijn 2022 auto’s verticaal stuk stijver en wordt gedempt en gecontroleerd met systeem met “vering stop”. Die stop bestaat vaak uit combinatie https://t.co/90U6mVEyQA

— Ho-Pin Tung 董荷斌 (@hopintung) February 24, 2022

Porpoising causes surprise at the FIA

The phenomenon was gone for about forty years, but now it is back in Formula 1. Remarkably, the teams and FIA had not come across the problem. Meanwhile they are busy looking for a solution.