Kevin Magnussen: Porpoising is less but wind is now a bigger factor for F1 cars
Kevin Magnussen of Haas 24 Feb 2023
Haas driver Kevin Magnussen has confirmed that the changes the FIA made to the floor rules has reduced porpoising, but now the F1 cars are sensitive to wind.
The floor edges have been raised by 15mm for the 2023 F1 season, which has effectively helped mitigate the effect of porpoising.
Magnussen was glad to see the improvement, but also pointed out that the cars' higher position on the track allows strong winds to cause more instability.
"There's less porpoising," Magnussen said during the Bahrain pre-season test.
"One of the negative consequences that everyone's facing is that it's also a little bit more wind sensitive. And it has been a bit windy here.
"So, there's going to be a little bit more inconsistency from the cars, but that's an issue that everyone has to tackle."
Asked whether his Haas VF-23 had lost downforce due to the changes, Magnussen added: "I know exactly what, but I can't obviously tell [you] that.
"Those rule changes put everyone back and then everyone's been putting downforce back on, some people would have gained, so they have a lot more than they did last year.
"The rules were better for downforce last year, but I think everyone will have made a good step."
