FIA respond to urgent safety demand by introducing steps to tackle porpoising

Ian Parkes
Thursday 16 June 2022 19:15

The FIA has listened to the demands of the F1 drivers and teams by introducing new procedures to combat the porpoising witnessed in the sport this year.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend saw drivers exposed to dangerous levels of the phenomenon, with seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton left suffering from severe back pain and requiring cryotherapy treatment and acupuncture.

Motorsport's world governing body has now decided "in the interests of safety" to take the steps required to look after F1's heroes.

The FIA feel it is "necessary to intervene to require that the teams make the necessary adjustments to reduce or to eliminate this phenomenon"

To that end, a technical directive has been issued providing guidance to the teams about the measures the FIA intends to take to tackle the problem.

Via an FIA statement, these include: "Closer scrutiny of the planks and skids, both in terms of their design and the observed wear.

"The definition of a metric, based on the car’s vertical acceleration, that will give a quantitative limit for an acceptable level of vertical oscillations.

"The exact mathematical formula for this metric is still being analysed by the FIA, and the Formula 1 teams have been invited to contribute to this process."

The statement adds: "In addition to these short-term measures, the FIA will convene a technical meeting with the teams in order to define measures that will reduce the propensity of cars to exhibit such phenomena in the medium term. "The FIA has decided to intervene following consultation with its doctors in the interests of the safety of the drivers.

"In a sport where the competitors are routinely driving at speeds in excess of 300km/h, it is considered that all of a driver’s concentration needs to be focused on that task and that excessive fatigue or pain experienced by a driver could have significant consequences should it result in a loss of concentration.

" In addition, the FIA has concerns in relation to the immediate physical impact on the health of the drivers, a number of whom have reported back pain following recent events."