"Where do you draw the line?" - F1 team principals debate impending FIA rule changes

F1 team principals continue to debate the impending technical directive from the FIA to combat porpoising.

The 2022 F1 regulatory changes brought with it a return to ground effect in an attempt to improve the quality of racing. This design decision also brought with it porpoising, with cars bottoming out and violently bouncing up and down on their rear suspensions at near top speeds.

This phenomenon became a major safety concern during round eight in Azerbaijan when multiple drivers complained about the potential adverse health implications tied to it. Prime among them was Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, who was in visible discomfort when he emerged from the cockpit of his W13 at the Baku City Circuit.

The FIA swiftly announced a mid-season technical directive to help combat porpoising. This includes raising the floor edges as well as the diffuser throat and could have a major impact on car design for all teams. The governing body also plans to crack down on the flexi-floor design that has been front and center of Red Bull and Ferrari's designs thus far in 2022. The directive will be in effect when action returns at Spa-Francorchamps following the summer break.

The decision has split the grid down the middle with Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Haas, Williams, and Red Bull opposing this directive straight off the bat.

In a press conference prior to the 2022 F1 Hungarian GP, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff backed the FIA's decision. The Austrian said:

"A study commissioned by the FIA shows that exposure to 1 to 2 hertz (frequency of vibrations) for a few minutes can lead to brain damage. The drivers are exposed to frequencies of up to 6 to 7 hertz for a period of several hours. That's why the FIA has to do something about it."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has been the loudest voice against the directives and feels that the FIA's quest to improve safety is valid but misguided. In a media briefing prior to the 2022 F1 Hungarian GP, Horner said:

"I think a compromise can be found. Raising ride height by 25 millimeters that is being discussed, involves a thorough revision of the car design. The FIA obviously has to ensure safety, but where do you draw the line? Do we have to ask permission in future to change from rain tires to slicks? Whether we can take a kerbstone with us or not? You have to be very careful about the unintended consequences that these kinds of things bring."

Horner then brought up Guanyu Zhou's frightful crash during the 2022 F1 British GP earlier this year. The 48-year-old added:

"You also have to put safety in context. For example, I'm more concerned about Alfa Romeo's roll hoop (which broke off relatively easily in Guanyu Zhou's horrific crash at Silverstone). That's something that needs to be looked at from a driver's point of view, rather than porpoising."

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Red Bull boss feels FIA technical directive designed to benefit only one F1 team

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has insinuated that the upcoming technical directive is a direct result of aggressive lobbying from Mercedes, one of the teams worst affected by porpoising in 2022.

Speaking to Sky Sports during the 2022 F1 French GP weekend, the 48-year-old said:

“I think the problem is what they’re looking at as a remedy for next year. The directive [for Spa], it’s neither here nor there for us. I think there’s an awful lot of lobbying to change the regulations significantly for next year, so a certain team can run its car lower and benefit from that concept.’’

Horner went on to add:

“It’s a very late point in the year to be doing this. I think the [FIA] president is doing the right thing, he’s collating all of the information, and hopefully a sensible solution can be found. Because it’s too late in the day for fundamental regulation changes, which something like that would be. Just run the car higher: it’s easy. We haven’t had a problem all year. There’s only one team that’s had a big problem.’’

It remains to be seen if the FIA will push forward with it or if the teams opposing it can find three more parties to form a super majority to veto it outright.