What is porpoising in F1?
A rapid vertical bouncing of the car at speed, caused by ground-effect downforce repeatedly stalling and returning.
Porpoising is a violent up-and-down bouncing that ground-effect cars can suffer on the straights. As the car is sucked lower, the floor's airflow can stall and lose downforce, the car rises, the downforce returns, and it slams down again — repeating several times a second. It became notorious in 2022 when the ground-effect rules returned, and teams control it with ride-height and stiffness set-up choices. Severe porpoising is uncomfortable for drivers and can limit how low, and therefore how fast, a car can run.
Related aero & the car terms
- DRS (Drag Reduction System) — A driver-operated flap in the rear wing that opens to cut drag and boost straight-line speed, allowed only when following closely in a DRS zone.
- Ground effect — Downforce generated by shaping the car's floor so airflow underneath speeds up and sucks the car onto the track.
- Dirty air — The turbulent, low-energy wake shed by a car in front that robs the following car of downforce and grip.
- The halo — The titanium hoop around the cockpit that protects the driver's head from debris and impacts.
- Degradation ("deg") — The gradual loss of tyre grip and lap time over a stint as the rubber wears and overheats.
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Definition written in plain language from the current F1 sporting rules and common usage, current as of 14 August 2026. Unofficial; not affiliated with Formula 1.