F1 News
Pirelli cannot help Mercedes: 'Teams have to address that themselves'
- GPblog.com
Porpoising made a rocky comeback with the new generation of Formula 1 cars in 2022. Mercedes in particular was hit hard by the problem, for which the team hopes to find a solution with the help of the FIA. One area that does not need to be looked at in the meantime is the tyres: Pirelli claims that the problems with the old 13-inch tyres are much worse than with the current 18-inch version and stresses that the teams must find a solution themselves.
Porpoising is caused by the aerodynamic properties of the F1 cars, but the stiffness of the cars does not help. The new 18-inch tyres for 2022 also offer less clearance, but Pirelli does not believe the new design contributes to the problems of porpoising.
Solution to porpoising not to be found at Pirelli
According to Mario Isola, the problems with the old 13-inch tyres were even worse than with the current version, because there was more movement in the sidewall of those tyres. Speaking to Autosport.com the Pirelli boss says that the sidewall acts as a kind of suspension and that this effect was much stronger in the old type of tyre than in the new one.
In fact, the Italian suspects that the current 18-inch tyres are helping rather than exacerbating the problem. He stresses that the problem is caused by the design of the current generation of cars and therefore the solution is not to be found in the tyres. "Now the cars are stiffer and the tyres are stiffer, and that is something the teams have to address," Isola concludes.