F1 news: New porpoising rules delayed as cost cap rises to combat effects of inflation

The new FIA rules to address Formula 1 cars bouncing have been delayed until the Belgian Grand Prix following an F1 Commission meeting on Friday.

The technical directive, aimed at cutting out the bouncing over fears for driver safety, had been set to be introduced at the French Grand Prix in two weekends’ time.

But that has been put back until after the summer break at Spa at the end of August. In addition, it was agreed that teams could spend a further 3.1 per cent on top of this year’s budget cap of $140million in response to rising inflation and freight costs.

The FIA’s Aerodynamic Oscillation Metric (AOM) has received objections from some teams who did not have issues with bouncing. It also included plans to limit any teams who were potentially exploiting the current regulations with flexi-floors.

The FIA said in a statement: “Following feedback and consultation with the teams and in order to allow the teams to make necessary updates to the plank and skid assemblies, which will ensure a fair application of the metric used to measure this oscillation across all cars, the implementation of the draft technical directive issued to the teams prior to the British Grand Prix will come into effect from the Belgian Grand Prix.”

Discussions were held about addressing the issue more thoroughly in the technical regulations for next season.

The F1 Commission also discussed the 2026 engine regulations, which it said were “close to finalisation”. That is expected to shake up the grid with car manufacturers Audi and Porsche looking to enter the sport.