Since the first contact with the asphalt in the Barcelona tests, the Formula 1 teams have had to deal with the so-called ‘porpoising‘, or rather the obvious jolts on the straight that cause quite a few shakes to the drivers’ heads. The teams then started working on the bottom of the car, looking for valid solutions to solve the problem and George Russell had evoked the return of active suspension as a long-term solution. During the Montmelò tests, the Federation allowed the teams to further secure the underbody with two extra struts, connected to the gearbox on one side and to the external underbody area on the other.
This would avoid the phenomenon of hopping at high speeds. As reported by the Germans of Car, Motor and Sportt, Haas and Alfa Romeo are among the teams that have welcomed this solution, considered salvific, so much so that it almost completely resolves the jolts on the straight. A Mercedes engineer did not seem so convinced that two more tie rods can fix the hopping: “Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn’t “. Considering the disputes over the minimum weight and concerns generated by porpoising, the two extra underbody struts fall within the 798 kg for which the teams have agreed, with the Federation being able to motivate this increase for safety reasons.
