Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff says it will be “very interesting” to observe the impact of the Porpashing guidelines, which will debut at the Belgian Grand Prix just after the summer break.
Mercedes F1 has been accused of being the most aggressive lobbyist for rule changes, plagued by the porpoising/bouncing of its new generation of F1 cars.
More controversial regulation changes are slated for 2023, and FIA president Mohammed bin Sulayem confirmed this week that the measures will be passed.
“After discussing the porpoise issue with all 20 Formula 1 drivers and 10 team principals, it is confirmed this week that updated technical regulations for 2023 will be submitted to the World Motor Sport Council to address this. I’m happy to do it.”
Mohamed bin Sulayem said the changes for 2023 were on top of measures “already made for the rest of the season”, while Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto said: “We will find a way to stop them. ‘, he swears.
The 2022 changes have been highly controversial, having been unveiled just before the F1 Canadian GP, delayed until the F1 British GP, and then further postponed for the F1 French GP.
The new technical directive, which mandates higher vehicle heights to prevent porpoising and protect the health and safety of Formula 1 drivers, is set to make its racing debut at the upcoming Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix.
However, Toto Wolff has admitted to Sport 1 that Mercedes F1 “removed” the ground effect aerodynamic phenomenon “before the summer break.”
“Since Spain we started to understand the car better, but in terms of development we are a few months behind our opponents,” said Wolff.
But what he’s watching very closely is the impact of Porpassing’s guidelines on F1’s frontrunners for 2022.
“It’s going to be very interesting,” said Toto Wolff, wondering if the floors of the Ferrari and Red Bull cars are too flexible.
“Let’s see if the difference in ride height makes a difference for teams running so low.”
“I don’t believe in a silver bullet that suddenly makes us half a second faster than everyone else, but it would be interesting.”
Category: F1 / mercedes / F1 Belgian Grand Prix