McLaren

McLaren hint at element of luck with porpoising escape

Topher Smith Saturday 5 March 2022 16:50

McLaren hint at element of luck with porpoising escape

McLaren believes its lack of porpoising compared to other teams on the grid is "not by design" and down to the stability of the chassis.

The porpoising phenomenon, where the cars bounce vigorously in a straight line, is caused by the ground-effect philosophy of the new aerodynamic regulations.

This affected some teams more than others during pre-season testing in Spain with McLaren seemingly escaping as the least-affected team.

Speaking in a media briefing including GPFans, McLaren technical director James Key said: "I'd love to make out that we've been super clever, but the reality is this is very difficult to simulate.

"It involves tyre stiffnesses, the heave modes of the car as clearly, if it's in tune with the chassis, that's when you really see it go off when you've got a natural frequency on the scrubbed mass as well.

"I don't think it's entirely like that, I think the stability of the car does play its role in how well the car handles on loading in various conditions, but I'd be lying if I said it was by design.

"It's a phenomenon that we're all going to get used to from track running with the reality of these cars and hopefully iron out as time goes on."

Latest News

Las Vegas Grand Prix

F1 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today as conditions set to cause havoc

11 minutes ago

Las Vegas Grand Prix

The Sphere: All you need to know about the dome dominating F1’s Las Vegas GP

28 minutes ago

Latest F1 News

Norris DISMISSES major championship rival ahead of Las Vegas GP

1 hour ago

Lewis Hamilton

Wolff reveals HUGE Hamilton change ahead of Ferrari switch

2 hours ago

Las Vegas Grand Prix

Controversial Las Vegas Grand Prix set for HUGE changes

3 hours ago

F1 Today

F1 News Today: Hamilton FRUSTRATION revealed as seven-time champion makes last race announcement

3 hours ago

More news

F1 Race Calendar 2024

GP AUSTRIA 28 - 30 Jun

George Russell

GP GREAT BRITAIN 5 - 7 Jul

Lewis Hamilton

GP HUNGARY 19 - 21 Jul

Oscar Piastri

GP BELGIUM 26 - 28 Jul

Lewis Hamilton

GP NETHERLANDS 23 - 25 Aug

Lando Norris

GP ITALY 30 Aug - 1 Sep

Charles Leclerc

GP AZERBAIJAN 13 - 15 Sep

Oscar Piastri

GP SINGAPORE 20 - 22 Sep

Lando Norris

GP USA 18 - 20 Oct

Charles Leclerc

GP MEXICO 25 - 27 Oct

GP QATAR 29 Nov - 1 Dec

GP ABU DHABI 6 - 8 Dec

Complete kalender 2024

F1 News 24/7

Races

About GPFans

GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.

We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.

With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.

Follow us on your favorite social media channel

Corporate & Media

Innovatieweg 20C
7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860

CHOOSE YOUR COUNTRY

McLaren hint at element of luck with porpoising escape

McLaren hint at element of luck with porpoising escape