New design creates ‘bounce’

F1 DESIGNERS are still grappling with the cause of the porpoising — or bouncing — that is affecting drivers’ performances. It has been linked to the front wing, but the most significant factor is thought to be the modified car floor.

Under new rules governing the design of the car, its underbelly is no longer flat, but instead shaped like an upside-down aeroplane wing. This has increased the level of downforce, sucking the car to the Tarmac, a phenomenon known as ‘ground effect’.

At high speeds especially, this leads to a car violently reverberating on its suspension, a sensation that Mercedes’ George Russell has likened to turbulence on an aeroplane.