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Mario Andretti, Lotus 78 Ford
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Porpoising: A lesson from history and one of F1’s greatest teams

Although the 2022 Formula 1 season is destined to be forever linked to the word ‘porpoising’, this is not a new phenomenon. In fact, it’s a problem that was identified at the start of the first ground-effects era and has returned with a change in the rules that once more allow downforce-generating floors

To understand the concepts involved, why porpoising occurs and how it led to F1's most radical design we need to look back to the mid-1970s and the figure who first harnessed ground-effects – Colin Chapman.

Chapman was the genius behind that most innovative of F1 teams, Lotus, which found itself struggling by the mid-1970s following a period of incredible success. Its engine, the Cosworth DFV, was already struggling to match the power produced by Ferrari and the dawning of the turbo era would only accelerate its ultimate demise.

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