FIA’s technical directive means that Mercedes will have to change their close to the ground setup to comply with the new regulations.
Formula One 2022 cars are completely new for this season and built after intense research and developments performed by the teams.
However, there is one problem that few teams are yet to find solutions even in the middle of the season. The issue of porpoising is still haunting a few of the teams especially Mercedes and McLaren.
The Silver Arrows have suffered the most due to this porpoising issue. Previously, on the straight streets of Baku, the car kept bouncing with Hamilton especially suffering the most.
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FIA’s solution to Mercedes and other teams porpoising problem
According to Sky Sports analyst and pit side expert Ted Kravitz, Mercedes’ W13 kept on bouncing due to the low setup. To gain maximum speed, the Mercedes cars were close to the ground and bounced due to the track being uneven.
Later, the Mercedes team principal urged FIA to make changes in the regulations favouring them. He stated: “We need to do something on the regulations because he [Hamilton] can’t move.”
The FIA introduced a technical directive advising the teams to tackle the porpoising issue. From this weekend in Canada, they will be monitoring cars with telemetry data.
Secondly, using mathematical Formula, the teams will be given a maximum tolerance for bouncing and hitting the ground. This is to ensure that the drivers are safe and do not injure themselves.
Changing the setup will reduce the W13’s speed
This is a huge concern for Mercedes. When the FIA provides the maximum tolerance measure, the German team is bound to change its setup.
Mercedes currently run the setup of low or near to the ground setup ensuring maximum straight-line speed. However, this comes with a repercussion of porpoising which both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton face.
In order to comply with FIA regulations, Mercedes would have to run with a higher-to-the-ground setup. This would for sure decrease the porpoising effect, but will also decrease the speed of the car.
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