Solving F1 Porpoising: Technical Solutions Explained

Porpoising in F1 cars is a major challenge caused by ground effect aerodynamics, introduced with the 2022 regulations. This issue affects car performance, driver safety, and comfort, especially at high speeds. Here's a quick breakdown of the problem and its solutions:

• What is Porpoising?
  Cars bounce due to airflow stalling under the car, causing oscillations between downforce and lift.
• Key Causes:
  • Ground effect aerodynamics.
  • Low ride heights for maximum downforce.
  • Stiff suspension setups and uneven track surfaces.
• Effects on Racing:
  • Driver health issues (back pain, neck strain).
  • Reduced braking and cornering performance.
  • Increased mechanical stress and floor damage.

Solutions Teams Are Using:

1. Floor Design Changes:
   • Stiffer floors, updated edges, and metal stays to prevent flexing.
   • Example: Red Bull and McLaren's floor upgrades.
2. Suspension Adjustments:
   • Tweaking spring and damper settings to balance performance and comfort.
3. Aerodynamic Refinements:
   • Changes to venturi tunnels, diffuser shapes, and modular floor designs.
4. FIA Rule Changes:
   • 15mm floor edge height increase and vertical oscillation limits.

Quick Comparison of Solutions:

Teams like Red Bull and Mercedes have made progress, but fully solving porpoising may require new technologies like active suspension systems, which are still under discussion.

Bottom Line: F1 teams are balancing performance, safety, and regulations to tackle porpoising, with floor designs, suspension setups, and aerodynamic updates leading the way.

Main Causes of Porpoising

Ground Effect and Airflow

Porpoising occurs due to the complex interaction between ground effect aerodynamics and airflow management. As downforce pulls the car closer to the track, the underfloor load increases until the airflow beneath the car stalls. This triggers a cycle of rapid oscillation between maximum downforce and a complete loss of ground effect.

In addition to these aerodynamic interactions, several technical factors play a role in worsening porpoising.

Technical Factors

Several technical aspects influence the severity of porpoising:

Valtteri Bottas shared his experience with these challenges:

"It's not very comfortable, and visually it gets a bit tricky. It is also challenging to drive as the load on the tyre is unstable, and it affects the change of direction and braking. Long term, it can also affect the car's reliability with the floor hitting into the ground."

While technical specifications are a key factor, how teams approach car design also plays a major role in porpoising behavior.

Team Design Differences

The extent of porpoising varies between teams due to their design philosophies. For example, Mercedes faced significant challenges with their narrow sidepod concept in 2022. Team Principal Toto Wolff explained:

"We have analysed it back and forth and the sidepods are still very different to any other car. We believe this is not a performance-relative part. Obviously, there is no such thing as a holy cow."

In contrast, McLaren driver Lando Norris noted that their car experienced minimal porpoising, adding:

"We don't have much porpoising. But porpoising is not necessarily a bad thing. For some cars they are gaining performance from the thing which causes the porpoising."

Key design elements that influence porpoising include:

• Gearbox layout and how weight is distributed
• Radiator placement and packaging
• The shape of bodywork, which affects airflow through the diffuser
• Stall point locations in relation to the car's center of gravity

Mike Elliott, Technical Director at Mercedes, emphasized the unique challenges each team faces:

"Porpoising is something we are all facing, and we all have to learn how to deal with it. The exact solution will likely be different for each team which coincides with the car's overall concept."

These factors highlight the complexity of porpoising and set the stage for exploring specific engineering solutions.

Engineering Fixes for Porpoising

Floor Design Changes

To tackle porpoising, teams have made changes to floor designs. For instance, Red Bull's RB19 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix introduced adjustments like an updated outer fence, deeper scrolls at the edges, and a larger floor edge wing chord.

McLaren also revamped their floor components, focusing on:

Alpine took a different approach, refining the leading-edge curl of the midway flap and reshaping the floor to improve airflow. Additionally, teams are using metal stays to reinforce floor edges, preventing excessive flexing and ensuring stable aerodynamic performance. These floor upgrades pave the way for suspension adjustments aimed at further stabilizing the cars.

Suspension Changes

Teams are also tweaking suspension setups to address porpoising. Running cars extremely low and stiff helps, but it comes with trade-offs. Lando Norris shared his concerns:

"I struggle a lot with my body and back and all of these things. And I have to do a lot now, which I didn't have to do a few years ago... things in the long term need to be improved, especially if I want to be here for many years."

Suspension adjustments aim to balance performance with driver comfort. For example, increasing damper rates can reduce porpoising, but it may also decrease grip and cause bouncing on uneven tracks.

Oscar Piastri highlighted the progress and challenges:

"I drove the 2022 car earlier in the year, and we've definitely made steps forward in terms of porpoising and improving comfort... But it's not quite as comfortable as the old cars were. So I think it is a point that is valid for us. We're going to drive the car how it is quickest... So you kind of need rules to stop that from us, because we're so competitive that we're just going to get the ultimate lap time out no matter what it takes."

In addition to floor and suspension tweaks, aerodynamic updates play a crucial role in minimizing porpoising.

Aero Modifications

Aerodynamic refinements have proven effective in addressing porpoising. During the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix, Mercedes introduced upgrades that included:

• A redesigned venturi tunnel shape
• Increased tunnel ceiling height
• Adjusted expansion ramp angle at the rear

Lewis Hamilton remarked on the improvements:

"It's the first time we've driven down the straight without bouncing... We still have some bouncing but it's way better."

Teams are also adopting modular floor designs, enabling quicker testing of various configurations. Red Bull's "ice skate" feature - a strake mounted under the floor - helps manage tire squirt into the diffuser, further enhancing performance.

Solution Performance Analysis

Fix Comparison Data

Different methods to address porpoising come with varying effects and compromises. Teams must weigh performance improvements against implementation difficulties and manage resources under F1's cost cap.

The Red Bull RB18 showcases advanced floor contouring with a sharp kink that aligns with outward-angled strakes, setting it apart from the smoother curves seen on other cars.

McLaren's edge wing design, initially controversial during pre-season testing, has since been validated and adopted by teams like Ferrari. Otmar Szafnauer, Alpine's Team Principal, shared their strategy:

"We always made those trade-off decisions on car setup, especially early on to get the car to a place where porpoising wasn't an issue for the drivers... But that always came at the expense of performance. Maybe some of the others didn't want to do that, they saw better routes."

These performance factors are crucial as teams work on refining designs while adhering to strict FIA regulations.

FIA Rule Limits

FIA technical regulations play a key role in shaping how teams tackle porpoising, setting clear boundaries to encourage innovation without compromising safety. Nikolas Tombazis, FIA Technical Chief, expressed:

"We did the right thing without any doubt... We had to find a pragmatic solution for the short term and a better solution for the medium term. The whole thing may not completely eliminate porpoising yet, but it will make the problem much smaller."

Here are the main regulatory constraints:

1. Vertical Oscillation Monitoring
   Teams must keep bouncing levels within set limits, measured by accelerometers. If these limits are exceeded, immediate ride height adjustments are required.
2. Floor Design Restrictions
   The rule mandating a 15mm floor edge height limits design flexibility, forcing teams to balance downforce and stability.
3. Suspension Limitations
   The ban on hydraulic suspension systems has led teams to explore alternative setups.

The FIA's monitoring system will remain active, ready to intervene if porpoising becomes an issue again, ensuring that safety stays a top priority.

Next Steps and Summary

Current Research

Research efforts are ongoing to address porpoising through a mix of simulations and on-track testing. Mike Elliott, Mercedes AMG's technical director, explains:

"We are doing a lot of simulation work back at the factory to see if we can solve it, deal with it or mitigate it before the first races."

The research focuses on three main areas:

• Ride Height Adjustment: Engineers use simulation models to find the best balance between downforce and stability.
• Floor Design Improvements: Teams like AlphaTauri are working on ways to increase aerodynamic load while reducing the risk of floor stalling.
• Suspension Tuning: Studies involve testing combinations of spring rates and damper settings tailored to different tracks.

While these efforts aim to refine current designs, teams are also looking into advanced technologies for potential breakthroughs.

Active Suspension Review

The possibility of reintroducing active suspension systems has sparked discussions within F1's technical circles. These systems could offer a new way to enhance performance while maintaining driver comfort.

McLaren's technical director, James Key, shares his perspective:

"As a technical director, I'd love to see the return of active suspension personally. But, with the cost cap, it's not the best project to be doing."

Main Points

Efforts to eliminate porpoising involve both short-term fixes and long-term innovations. AlphaTauri's Technical Director Jody Egginton puts it succinctly:

"At the end of the day, we want to maximise the load over the biggest possible window. The aerodynamicists in every team will be looking to get as much as they can while minimising the risk of the floor stalling. It's just a trade-off between ultimate load and giving the driver a car that they can operate over a large window."

The research so far suggests that while current measures help manage porpoising, more comprehensive solutions may require rethinking car designs and regulations entirely.

F1's Porpoising Tech Directive - How it Really Works

FAQs

What role did the 2022 F1 regulations play in causing porpoising?

The 2022 F1 regulations introduced ground effect aerodynamics, which rely on cars being as close to the ground as possible to generate maximum downforce. However, this design created aerodynamic instabilities at high speeds, causing the cars to bounce vertically - a phenomenon known as porpoising.

This issue arises when the airflow under the car becomes disrupted, leading to a rapid cycle of gaining and losing downforce. While the ground effect design improves performance, it also made managing porpoising a key challenge for teams in the 2022 season.

What are the long-term effects of using active suspension to address porpoising in F1 cars?

The use of active suspension in F1 cars could provide significant benefits, such as eliminating porpoising by dynamically adjusting ride height and improving aerodynamics for faster lap times. This technology could also enhance driver comfort and safety by ensuring more stable handling during races.

However, implementing active suspension comes with challenges. It would require substantial development costs, which may strain teams operating under the cost cap. Additionally, the FIA would need to revise regulations to allow its use, and teams would have to design custom control systems to integrate the technology effectively. While promising, these hurdles make active suspension a complex long-term solution for porpoising in F1.

How do F1 teams' design strategies impact their solutions to porpoising?

F1 teams' unique design strategies play a crucial role in how they tackle porpoising, with varying levels of success. Mercedes, for instance, has faced persistent challenges with porpoising due to their car's design philosophy, which has required ongoing adjustments to improve stability and performance. In contrast, Red Bull has minimized porpoising by optimizing their underfloor design with a higher, arched tunnel roof, making their car more resistant to aerodynamic instabilities.

McLaren addressed the issue by setting skid blocks at a height that avoids triggering porpoising, allowing them to maintain competitive downforce. Meanwhile, Ferrari uses a flatter central keel design under the car, which differs from Red Bull's intricate setup, highlighting how diverse design philosophies lead to unique solutions. These approaches underline the importance of tailoring engineering fixes to each team's car concept and aerodynamic goals.

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