Technical directive on porpoising hasn’t hit our performance · RaceFans

In brief

Ferrari deny technical directive hit their form

Ferrari’s race director Laurent Mekies dispelled the idea that his team’s failure to fight for race wins recently is related to the technical directive introduced at August’s Belgian Grand Prix.

The directive was aimed at reducing the bottoming-out effect suffered by Formula 1 cars at high speeds. The FIA introduced the Aerodynamic Oscillation Metric in order to prevent excessive bouncing and made changes to how teams’ skid blocks are measured for compliance to the rules.

Ferrari are yet to win a race since the directive was introduced. But Mekies does not believe the directive has had altered their performance.

“Really we don’t think there is any specific impact on our team here,” he said. “The [directive] is a good thing. It’s putting effectively more pressure on plank wear measurements, which have been there forever. It’s doing it in a bit more sophisticated way.

“We are fully in favour of it and we don’t think it has impacted any of our relative performance, there is certainly other factors for that.”

Tokyo government signs Formula E deal with plan to host race

Formula E and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government have signed an agreement with the intention of a prospective Tokyo E-Prix joining the series’ calendar in spring 2024.

The bayside area next to the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition centre has been chosen as the location of the circuit that will be designed for the event.

Tokyo’s governor Yuriko Koike plans to make the megacity carbon neutral, and signed the agreement with FE’s CEO Jamie Riegle. Japan has long been a target country for FE, which counts Nissan among its competitors.

Juncos Hollinger IndyCar team to run in Argentina

IndyCar team Juncos Hollinger will hold a demonstration run in Argentina next month. Local driver Agustin Canapino will run at the Circuit of Buenos Aires, which held F1 races between 1953 and 1998, and the Circuit of Termas de Rio Hondo.

Juncos Hollinger plans to expand its IndyCar team to two entries next year, but is yet to announce who will join Callum Ilott in their line-up. Canapino, 32, is a multiple champion in Argentina’s Turismo Carretera touring car series and drove for Juncos in the Daytona and Sebring sports car races in 2019.

Formula 3…