How Porpoising Is Becoming Downright Painful for Mercedes F1 Drivers

Autoweek rounds up some the stories and incidents you may have missed from this past weekend's Formula 1’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola:

Bouncing Is Taking It's Toll on Mercedes

The "porpoising" phenomenon has affected several F1 teams in 2022, and Mercedes has been at the forefront of that issue.

So bad was its bouncing during Friday practice at Imola that driver George Russell broke a stay on the W13’s floor and he couldn’t go full throttle along the straights. After finishing a superb fourth at Imola, belying the performance of the misbehaving car, Russell conceded that the bouncing is beginning to have a physical impact.

“When the car is in the right window and the tyres are in the right window the car, except for the bouncing, feels really good to drive,” he said. “The bouncing really takes your breath away. It’s the most extreme I’ve ever felt it, I really hope we find a solution, and every team struggling with it finds a solution because it is not sustainable for the drivers to continue with this level.

"This is the first weekend I’ve truly been struggling with my back and almost had chest pains from the severity of the bouncing. It’s (the bouncing) what we have to do to get the fastest lap times out of the car.”

From Two Wheels to Four

MotoGP legends trying their hand at motorsport has become a common theme recently. Valentino Rossi is embarking on a full program in GT World Challenge Europe and Dani Pedrosa is dipping his toes into the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe series.

Five-time world champion Jorge Lorenzo, who retired from MotoGP after 2019, is now joining them. This year he is racing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia but made a VIP appearance in the opening round of the Porsche Supercup at Imola. The highly-competitive series uses Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and is entering its 30th year of competition.

“After the end of my MotoGP career, I missed the competition, so I went looking for something safer than motorcycle racing,” said Lorenzo. “Last year I contested a few virtual races in the esports version of the Porsche Carrera Cup Italia. Switching to the real Porsche 911 GT3 Cup was the next step.”

As expected Lorenzo’s results were modest. He qualified 31st of the 33 entrants, three seconds off the pace, and in the race classified 30th of the 32 drivers to reach the flag. But given the wet conditions for Sunday’s race he fared well to keep out of trouble and far from disgraced himself.

Italy’s Motor Valley

Motorsport valley is a belt of land across southern England where you almost can’t move for motorsport teams but the region surrounding Imola stakes its own claim as "Motor Valley."

There’s Misano just along the Adriatic coast and Mugello over the hills in nearby Tuscany. A short drive to Faenza brings you to AlphaTauri’s factory while around an hour away is Maranello, Ferrari’s home, with the town essentially devoted to the manufacturer.

Any car nut in the region simply has to visit Maranello, check out the Scuderia’s road and race car base, and have a gander at the museum that features a plethora of Formula 1 machinery and memorabilia. There’s also the famous restaurant, opposite Ferrari’s iconic main gates, that has been frequented by the good and the great of Ferrari’s history.