Changes to the Formula 1 technical regulations for 2023 which bid to stop porpoising have taken a step closer, as confirmed by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
Ben Sulayem announced on Monday evening that after discussions with all drivers and teams, updated 2023 technical regulations would be submitted to the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) this week.
The FIA announced several weeks ago its intention to change the regulations to reduce the porpoising phenomenon, which has returned this year following the re-introduction of ground effect cars.
The stiff nature of the 2022 challengers has also seen them bottom out frequently at high speed.
A temporary measure will be installed at the next grand prix weekend in Belgium, which will see a stiffening of the plank skids and a vertical oscillation metric enforced.
But it is only a temporary solution and for 2023, there are set to be further changes to the regulations on the grounds of safety.
These include raising the floor edges and the underfloor diffuser throat, introducing more stringent lateral floor deflection tests and implementing a more accurate sensor to help quantify the aerodynamic oscillation.
Teams are split over the new regulations, with Red Bull in particular being vocal against their introduction due to how late into the calendar year the sport is.
“It’s too late in the day for fundamental regulation changes, which something like that would be,” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said in France.
“We haven’t had a problem all year. There’s only one team that has had a big problem.
“We’ve got some of the most talented engineers in the world in this sport, and I can almost guarantee you if we came back next year, there would be no cars with issues.”
Should the changes get the green light from the WMSC, teams may be forced to undertake sizeable alterations to the construction of their 2023 challengers.
Terrible deja vu as FIA address the measured effect of porpoising just as they did ground effect in early 80s !
Let’s just break all the fundamental necessities for ground effect. Increase the size of gaps, in 80s they actually had sliding side seals.
As with the current season, most of the floor ground force generation will be more experimental than scientific.
Ruining the racing so that Mercedes, with their stereotypically Austrian leader and short-arsed jewellery display, can go back to their winning set-up. Not at all a good move for the future of the sport.