As it announced this week, Mercedes F1 is looking in a number of different directions to try and resolve the porpoising issues it is facing with its 2022 car, and will use a few upgrades at this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix. end.
Team principal Toto Wolff said the focus has been on finding a long-term solution rather than one that compromises performance, and several avenues are currently being explored.
“We’re trying to find a solution that doesn’t just fix the bounce,” explains Wolff in Miami
“Because you can fix the ground effect problem, by making the floor stiffer. But you’re going to lose downforce trying to make the car more stable. And that’s not the direction we’re going to take. let’s go with the parts we have for this weekend.”
“Unfortunately, without private testing, every race weekend is a bit of a live experience. You can’t replicate the bounce we see on the track in a wind tunnel, and so it’s just like the good old days – a little trial and error. What do these pieces actually do in real life? That’s what we’re going to find out.”
“So far we’re looking at a few directions where we think it might help us solve the long-term problem without losing downforce, in terms of quality and quantity.”
“So there will be parts on the car this weekend, and we think we can refine the direction to go with them. But don’t count on big performance from the car, we won’t unlock them from a weekend race to another!”
