McLaren and Ferrari seem to have found a way to deal with the issue of porpoising
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Mclaren's new livery for the 2022 season, the MCL36
The pre-season testing in Barcelona helped the teams on the grid to evaluate their technical workings ahead of the first Grand Prix of the approaching season next month in Bahrain. However, Ferrari and McLaren stood out of the lot during testing while showing high levels of reliability and maximum speed. It is also to note that the pre-season testing results can’t possibly determine how the 2022 season is going to play out.
The key to quick laps at this early level of testing, according to Red Bull Technical Director Adrian Newey, is how successfully the teams have handled the challenge of pumping on the straights: “It’s not difficult to put an end to the bouncing. However, it’s difficult to avoid losing lap time.” Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, agrees: “With the ground clearance, you can go up to the back. However, you are sluggish.”
If you over-adjust the chassis, the same thing happens. In the slow corners, you lose driving smoothness and time. Putting the car together not only damages the chassis and underbody, but also causes the drivers to become uneasy. “When braking, you must exercise greater caution. It’s unpleasant if the automobile loses downforce just before it’s about to brake, says a Formula One engineer.
Mclaren shines when it comes to longitudinal shot
What is certain is that the top two teams on the grid, namely, Mercedes and Red Bull haven’t exactly found a solution to the said problem yet. This is where teams like Ferrari and Mclaren are two steps ahead in terms of finding an appropriate solution. Many cars’ floor edges bend towards the road as they reach 300 km/h. “That’s where this process of suction and suction occurs,” says Mercedes’ Team Principal Toto Wolff.
According to Mercedes, McLaren has discovered a solution to stop the ground flapping while still being able to drive deep. A long slot is implanted corresponding to the edge on the back half of the base plate, which is meant to avoid pumping by allowing air to escape once the floor leans downwards. Other teams agree with this viewpoint. On Day Two of testing in Barcelona, Haas took a huge stride toward fixing the problem by coming up with a similar approach.
Until Christmas, Aston Martin used a similar approach in the wind tunnel but then switched to a longitudinal lip on the ground’s edge because it promised faster lap times. The key is where you put the slot on the floor and also how big it ends up becoming. Too much lowers pumping but increases aerodynamic drag in the curves. “The trick is to strike the right mix as to how much you give up to solve the problem,” added Guenther Steiner, Haas’ Team Principal.
How is Ferrari faring in dealing with the challenge?
To break free from the endless cycle, Aston Martin must lift its car in the back and hard trim the chassis. Ferrari approaches the issue in a different way than McLaren. The red cars have a high rear stance but have a lot of torsional stiffness. Part of the bouncing is acceptable, however, you are quick on the slow corners. Ferrari recovers its time in the final stretch of the circuit, according to sector measurements.
According to Adrian Newey, the impact that is currently giving so many teams headaches was predictable. “This was already the case 40 years ago, during the original Groundeffect era. This aerodynamic principle has it built-in.” According to the technical expert, the rule-makers were forewarned of such repercussions, but no one heeded the warnings.
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