Whilst the summer break is now in full flow, the championship looks set to take a new twist once the season resumes at the Belgian Grand Prix, as the new Technical Directive (TD) will finally be introduced.
Whilst porpoising has featured less as of late, it’s still a concern for some teams in the paddock, most notably the Mercedes F1 Team.
The German side have been the most vocal team in support of the FIA clamping down on porpoising, having suffered from the bouncing dilemma the worst.
Mercedes deem that porpoising is a health risk to drivers, having produced figures to prove that brain damage is possible for drivers who have experienced the uncomfortable issue.
The TD was meant to be introduced in June but faced backlash from many teams; however, it will finally be introduced at Spa.
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The FIA believe there is a ‘grey area’ around the current regulations with regards to the cars’ floors, something the TD will remove.
According to Auto Motor und Sport’s Michael Schmidt, Mercedes are “convinced that Ferrari/Red Bull would lose two/three tenths due to the TD in Spa”.
“I am not sure about that,” Schmidt said, “for Ferrari and Red Bull are a bit too relaxed about the TD in Spa.”
Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner has very little concern about the incoming TD, with him stating that the RB18’s floor already complies with the TD
“No, zero,” Horner replied when asked if he was concerned by the TD.
“I mean, I don’t know. Maybe he’s referring to… I don’t know, cars that are around him at the moment. I’ve no idea but absolutely no issues or concerns on our floor.”
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Supposedly, Horner was one of the team principals to complain about the TD, when it was announced in June; however, he’s labelled these rumours as “total rubbish”.
Ferrari and Red Bull are believed to be worried about 2023, where the FIA are planning to introduce new regulations which will see the floor edges raised by 25mm.
“Ferrari and Red Bull are more concerned about the 2023 floor changes,” he said.