Lando Norris, a British driver for McLaren, expressed his belief that the bouncing issue in Formula 1 is still a problem and requires long-term improvement. This issue emerged in 2022 when the sport returned to ground effect-centric aerodynamic regulations. Teams and drivers experienced extreme vertical oscillations, known as porpoising, where cars would bottom out under aerodynamic load. This caused the aero to stall and the floor to rise before loading aero again and bottoming out. The porpoising phenomenon plagued drivers throughout the 2022 season and raised concerns due to the stress it imposed on their backs. In response, regulations were implemented in 2023, requiring the raising of floor edges by 15mm to mitigate the issue. However, bouncing has not been completely eliminated from ground effect cars. Norris, along with his teammate Oscar Piastri, shared their thoughts on the matter, considering the possibility of a connection between bouncing and appendicitis cases involving Alex Albon in the 2022 Italian Grand Prix and Carlos Sainz in the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Norris acknowledged the improvements made since 2022 but highlighted the continued need to run cars at extremely low and stiff settings, which takes a toll on the drivers’ bodies. He personally struggles with his back and overall physical condition, indicating that long-term improvements are necessary, especially if he plans to continue racing in Formula 1 for many years.
Piastri stated: “I believe we have effectively addressed it, but it is something we must monitor in the future.
Similar to Lando’s point, ultimately, we will drive the car in the fastest way possible and not sacrifice lap time for any post-race discomfort.
Rules are necessary to prevent us from pushing beyond limits because our competitiveness will always drive us to achieve the ultimate lap time, regardless of the consequences.”
Andrea Stella, the McLaren team principal, acknowledged that the 2022 regulations have presented unintended difficulties and looked ahead to finding solutions within the 2026 technical regulations.
“We have made significant progress in understanding these challenges, which is why the current cars are more comfortable to drive. However, they can still be quite unstable,” he explained.
“When it comes to high-speed sections, there is still a tendency for the cars to bounce and experience porpoising, resulting in potential loss of control.
“So, it’s not just about comfort; it’s also about how close to the limit the car becomes when these dynamic oscillations occur.
“All the lessons learned from this should definitely be applied when designing the 2026 regulations, especially if they involve smaller cars as intended. However, the regulations should still be based on the ground-effect cars we currently use.
“It would be unsatisfactory and incomplete if the 2026 cars encounter similar issues as those in 2022.”