Read time: 7.4 minutes
Twenty-two races down, two to go. Ahead of a season-defining Middle Eastern double-header, we sat down with Team Principal Andrea Stella in Qatar, where we discussed the results of the Las Vegas Grand Prix and looked ahead to the final two races of the season, which will determine the Drivers’ Championship.
Here’s what he had to say…
Have you identified a specific cause for the excessive wear on the rear skid?
The specific cause that led to the situation was the unexpected occurrence of extensive porpoising, inducing large vertical oscillations of the car. The level of porpoising was exacerbated by the conditions in which the car operated during the race, and it was not anticipated based on what we had seen in Practice and based on the predictions of the car operating window in the race.
Based on the data we had acquired in Practice, we do not believe we took excessive risks in terms of ride height, and we also added a safety margin for Qualifying and the race, compared to Practice, in terms of clearance to the ground. However, the safety margin was negated by the unexpected onset of the large vertical oscillations, which caused the car to touch the ground.
The porpoising condition that the car developed in the race was also a difficult one to mitigate, as even a reduction in speed – an action that, in theory, should increase clearance to the ground – was only effective in some parts of the track, but in others was actually counterproductive.
Did you notice anything during the race?
From the early laps of the race, it was clear from the data that the level of unexpected porpoising would be a concern. We were able to monitor the situation better on Lando’s car using telemetry data, but it was made more difficult on Oscar’s car, after we lost one of the sensors we use to establish the level of grounding.
We realised relatively soon that this level of porpoising was causing a high level of skid wear energy, and this is the reason why both drivers started to take remedial actions in various parts of the circuit. Unfortunately, we also saw that, because of the car operating window and the circuit characteristics, most of these actions were not effective enough in reducing porpoising.
Were you surprised by the Stewards’ decision?
We verified together with the technical delegate that the measurement of the skid thickness was correct. Even if the excessive wear is relatively minor and in only one location, (as it was 0.12 mm for Lando and 0.26mm for Oscar), the regulation is very clear that the rear skids need to be at least 9mm at the end of the race in every location. Unlike sporting or financial rules, there is no proportionality in the application of penalties for technical regulation infringements. The FIA itself has admitted that this lack of proportionality should be addressed in the future to ensure that minor and accidental technical infringements, with minimal or no performance benefits, do not lead to disproportionate consequences.
It should also be remembered that the FIA itself emphasised that the infringement was not intentional, there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations, and that there were also mitigating circumstances, as we explained to the event Stewards.