New porpoising rules in Singapore, circuit too bumpy

Porpoising has pretty much dominated the conversation this season. The bouncing of the cars, especially at the beginning of the season, was so bad that several drivers complained of back pain and other health problems. The FIA therefore introduced an 'Aerodynamic Oscillation Metric' (AOM), a certain measurement used to determine whether a car bounces too much. If this limit is exceeded, the FIA can issue severe penalties to teams that do not adhere to it.

The AOM first came into effect at the Belgian Grand Prix. By then, most teams already had a reasonable idea of where the problems with porpoising were coming from, and so the solutions were also easier to find. So far, no team has received a penalty as a result of this AOM.

Changes for Singapore

The only problem is that the AOM is set based on average power per distance. That is fine on a flatter track, but on a track that is a bit bumpier - like Singapore, for example - that limit would therefore be exceeded even if the cars are not affected by porpoising at all.

The FIA is therefore going to adjust the AOM this weekend, the media reports. The calculation will be adjusted in such a way that bumps and spikes in the track are not taken into account, so that only what the car itself does is considered. In practical terms, this means increasing the maximum value by 7G. In this way, teams should be able to stay within the new limits, and thus not incur a penalty.