Wolff stresses importance of floor changes in F1: 'The bouncing came back'

The FIA's decision to force changes to the floor for the 2023 Formula 1 season came in for criticism from the governing body, as Mercedes was the only team still struggling with porpoising late in the season. Despite this, the FIA still stands firmly behind the rule change.

After the extensive rule changes for 2022, a number of teams had to deal with bouncing cars. While most teams had largely dealt with the problem after a few races, Mercedes in particular continued to struggle with porpoising. Led by team boss Toto Wolff, the team lobbied intensively for rule changes, and successfully: the FIA decided to intervene on safety grounds.

Rival teams question that line of argument, but the governing body does not care much about that. Nikolas Tombazis, head of single-seaters at the FIA, said to Motorsport.com there is "no doubt" that the rule changes are justified.

Wolff stresses importance of rule changes

Despite the fact that the problem has also hardly resurfaced at Mercedes, the team's position has not changed. At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, some bouncing was again visible at the W13 and Wolff seizes on that to underline the need for the changes.

The Mercedes boss argues that his team had to make a compromise regarding the set-up and attributes it to the character of the Yas Marina Circuit. He sees it as an "important reminder" that the problem is still there and needs to be addressed. "You come to a conclusion that it’s not a problem any more, and then you find a track which is not even the worst in terms of bouncing and the porpoising, and the bouncing and the poor ride is back," Wolff said.