McLaren back Norris 'simplistic' porpoising claim
McLaren back Norris 'simplistic' porpoising claim
McLaren technical director James Key has confirmed Lando Norris' belief a return of porpoising could be a sign the team's upgrades are working.
Norris and Daniel Ricciardo have been given update packages at this weekend's French Grand Prix as McLaren aims to stretch clear from Alpine in the race to fourth in F1's constructors' standings, with the teams currently tied on 81 points.
Of a widescale package, the talking points are the coke bottle area to aid both performance and reliability, whilst the sidepod shapes have been updated to assist loading across both axles, generating downwash towards the rear.
Australian Ricciardo took the upgrades to his MCL36 in first practice at Paul Ricard as the team opted to compare between old and new, before Norris switched to the package in the afternoon session.
The car was seen bouncing down the Mistral Straight and when asked about the return of porpoising, Norris said: "I am hoping...it is kind of a good thing. If we can improve the car sometimes that promotes porpoising.
"It can mean we are heading in the right direction so we will try to understand it and hopefully we find it is a good thing and not a bad one."
Porpoising can "give an indicator" for upgrades - Key
When asked if this was a simplistic view to take or whether there was merit to Norris' claims, Key replied: "It does simplify it a bit.
"Obviously, the porpoising phenomena is made up of many factors.
"Certainly, what we have found is as floor loading has increased, so the propensity to porpoising has increased as well.
"We got a little bit more with the step we made with the new floor in Barcelona, and this new floor has generated a further step.
"We can attenuate that in certain ways and we are not suffering from it significantly but it is slightly more prominent.
"You could give an indicator that it is doing what you thought it should do but it is certainly not a property you are looking to build into."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Newey Red Bull EXIT date revealed as F1 star confirmed at new team - GPFans F1 Recap
- 3 hours ago
Verstappen takes F1 swipe at Hamilton and rivals with ruthless remark
- Yesterday 22:57
Marko defends Ricciardo in 'unbelievable' idiot claim
- Yesterday 21:57
Hamilton hints at sensational Newey arrival at Ferrari
- Yesterday 20:57
Suspended Red Bull employee 'grilled' as Horner saga given potential END DATE
- Yesterday 19:57
BLOW for former F1 champion as Mercedes preferences revealed
- Yesterday 18:58
Related news
F1 driver hails 'INCREDIBLE' race return opportunity as track options assessed
French president gives HUGE update on historic F1 race
Rumours BUILD over French GP return to F1 calendar
F1 masterplan to secure ICONIC track's return takes tantalising new twist
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860