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Why is porpoising resulting in disaster for Mercedes but not for Ferrari?

Samriddhi Jaiswal
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Why is porpoising resulting in disaster for Mercedes but not for Ferrari?

While both Mercedes and Ferrari are struggling with the effect of porpoising, the former seems to have faced a much more disastrous outcome.

In the 2022 season, a lot of teams have been seen struggling with the effects of porpoising but it seems as though Mercedes is the worst affected. In the Australian GP, Ferrari was also seen bouncing off the track but it still bagged good points, unlike the Brackley-based team.

Porpoising takes place when the car bounces as the underfloor aero stalls. It raises the car, then re-attaches the car, which brings it down again. Meanwhile, the drivers keep shaking in the cockpit due to the bouncing motion and the impact of the floor on the surface.

So while all this happened to both Mercedes and Ferrari, why is it that Mercedes is suffering more? The teams try to find solutions to minimise the effect. In doing so it matters what they sacrifice and how well they manage it.

Porpoising is not that big a problem on the straights as long as it does not damage the car or shake the driver beyond what they can tolerate.

What matters is the theoretical downforce sacrificed by the increased ride height to lessen the problem. the second factor is the dynamic impact on the car in the faster corners. In both cases, it seems as though the Ferrari has done a much better job.

Also Read: Max Verstappen offends his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase at the Imola Sprint race

Mercedes vs Ferrari

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff explained that the W13 is carrying the porpoising into the high speed- corners followed by the long back straight making the effect worse.

This phenomenon is leading to a significant proportion of performance deficits. However, Wolff thinks that there are other areas where the car can improve. Meanwhile, Ferrari is quicker almost everywhere on the track.

Most likely the solution to Mercedes’ problems lies in the floor design combined with how this year’s simplified suspension systems work. The solution also lies in the several other parts of the car but in any case, it seems as though the Ferrari can cope with the problems.

Also Read: Lewis Hamilton drops his hopes for 2022 after struggling sprint race in Imola

About the author

Samriddhi Jaiswal

Samriddhi Jaiswal

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Samriddhi Jaiswal is an F1 editor and writer at The SportsRush. She started her career as a business journalist but soon found her calling in lights out here we go! Samriddhi has been a Ferrari fan even when her interaction with F1 was occasional. Her first real experience with the thrilling sport came when Charles Leclerc clinched his iconic victory in Spa and Monza and painted the track red. Now, a Tifosi, Samriddhi is a hardcore fan of the prancing horse and can relate to the chaos within the Italian camp and also admires Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Off the track, she finds her home in books and musical instruments.

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