Following the eighth round of this year’s FIA Formula One World Championship, during which the phenomenon of aerodynamic oscillations (“porpoising”) of the new generation of Formula 1 cars, and the effect of this during and after the race on the physical condition of the drivers was once again visible, the FIA, as the governing body of the sport, has decided that, in the interests of the safety, it is necessary to intervene to require that the teams make the necessary adjustments to reduce or to eliminate this phenomenon.
After last week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, it was clear that something needed to be done to reduce the amount of porpoising seen in the new regulation Formula 1 cars. I’d previously been in the camp that it is up to the teams to make sacrifices in performance to increase driver comfort, but after watching the onboard shots from Baku and seeing Lewis Hamilton struggle to climb from his car after the race, my mind quickly changed.
I hope that this new regulation isn’t met with whinging from teams who were less affected by porpoising, but I suppose people in hell hope for ice water.
Michael Miller 