The training of young horses poses a real dilemma for stables

The teams will have to quickly find how to solve this problem, otherwise the puzzle will be even more complex.

As we explained previously, "porpoising" is an unforeseen consequence of the ground effect on the new single-seaters. In short, it shakes the cars up and down when they reach a certain speed. And while the problem may seem insignificant at first glance, Mercedes driver George Russell has expressed his concerns, stating that it has the potential to be a real safety issue if it were to become uncontrollable during the race.

This phenomenon was a real surprise for the entire paddock in Barcelona, and considering the time required for such modifications, it is possible that teams will have to make some compromises at the beginning of the season.

In concrete terms, it would be enough to raise the lower part of the body by a few millimeters to prevent the single-seaters from sagging in a straight line. However, it's far from being that simple.

This season, the cars have been designed to be completely dependent on ground effect, so they are rigid and very low to produce maximum downforce. Therefore, increasing the height by just a few millimeters would have a significant impact and would result in losing several tenths of a second on a single lap. A dilemma then arises for the teams: sacrifice performance or risk suffering from porpoising?

On the Barcelona circuit, this phenomenon was more or less easy to manage. However, it is highly likely to worsen on smoother tracks.

A dilemma in qualifications.

Dolphin-ing is a dilemma for the teams, because while using the DRS in qualifying solves the problem by reducing aerodynamic load, drivers cannot use it as frequently in the race. Therefore, they will have to endure the bumps of their car on the straight line. Especially since the Park Fermé rule deprives them of any modifications between Saturday and Sunday.

Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez addressed the issue. We need to understand the cars well, but we have to compromise a lot in qualifying. Everyone tries to drive as low as possible, but there is the bottling effect. This will be important because in qualifying, to achieve the maximum, we have to be [low]. But when you don't have the DRS open, we have the problem.

Carlos Sainz won't say otherwise, given that Ferrari is the team that has suffered the most from the dolphin effect. « It depends on the settings you use, it depends on whether you use the DRS or not. It's a whole new world and a new understanding that we have to overcome, because it seems like it will be a topic for this year. » Sainz explained.

The Alpine sporting director, Alan Permane, also mentioned this theme: "It is definitely a real problem [...]. When you say, we can stop this, but you'll be half a second slower, I don't think everyone raises their hand saying 'we'll do it'. We will make aerodynamic changes to stop the drafting, but honestly, it will cost us a lot of downforce. No one is going to do that. I think it caught everyone by surprise."

So we will see in Bahrain if the teams have managed to solve the problem.