How a 1980s design phenomenon has trapped F1’s new rules in a tough spot on car safety

By:

Matt Kew

Feb 24, 2022, 7:15 PM

The new generation of Formula 1 cars have caused a stir in their first on-track action of 2022 in Barcelona testing this week. With a design change driven by a desire to boost overtaking, an old phenomenon has reared its head and raised concerns over safety

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The epithet of choice during the lead up to the 2022 grand prix campaign has been that Formula 1 is about to embark on a ‘new era’ thanks to the regulatory overhaul. It’s ironic then that just two days into pre-season running at Barcelona, the field is being hobbled by a forty-year-old problem: porpoising.

Autosport has spent a healthy chunk of time watching the new breed of machinery hurtle down the main straight before slamming on the anchors on the approach to the Turn 1 right-hander. But what’s happening well before the braking zone is capturing the attention most of all.

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Matt Kew

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Matt Kew is Autosport’s F1 Editor, a role he has held since March 2022 following stints covering Formula E, Extreme E and the British Touring Car Championship.

Matt joined Autosport in 2018 to work predominantly on the magazine, but his relentless quoting of Alan Partridge meant office colleagues soon thought he would be better-suited to increased field work.

Needless to say, Matt had the last laugh when he won the Motorsport UK Young Journalist of the Year Award in 2019.

His interest in motorsport was sparked by regular trips to watch ASCAR crash around Rockingham’s banked oval.

Matt read politics and philosophy at the University of Sheffield - receiving first-class honours for his dissertation assessing the lack of female participation in top-tier motor racing.

He covered a wide variety of national race and rally meetings for Autosport as a freelancer before joining full-time. His best efforts to argue the merits of historic racing are undone by a questionable taste in music and James Bond actors.