George Russell declares Mercedes' porpoising woes over with 2026 F1 rules

George Russell confirmed that Mercedes' significant pre-season mileage in Barcelona was achieved without the porpoising issues that plagued the team's previous ground-effect cars. The 2026 aerodynamic regulations, shifting downforce generation higher on the car, appear to have solved the physically punishing bouncing problem for good.

Why it matters:

Porpoising was a major performance and safety headache during the last regulatory era, directly impacting driver health and car performance. Its elimination under the new rules represents a critical quality-of-life improvement for drivers and removes a major variable that teams like Mercedes struggled to master, potentially leveling the development playing field.

The details:

• Mercedes completed over 500 laps across three days of private testing in Barcelona with the new W17, a strong initial reliability sign.
• Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli consistently posted competitive lap times during their running.
• The core issue stemmed from the previous generation of ground-effect cars, which generated most downforce from the floor. Running the car low to seal this area often triggered violent bouncing on straights.
• The 2026 rules mandate a return to generating the majority of downforce from the upper body surfaces (wings, etc.), fundamentally altering the aerodynamic philosophy and eliminating the conditions that cause porpoising.
• Russell emphasized that while the car feels "nice to drive" and is reliable, its ultimate pace relative to rivals remains an unanswered question until official testing.

What's next:

The real benchmark arrives at the official pre-season test in Bahrain from February 11-13, where all ten teams will run together for the first time.

• Russell noted that car performance is "very, very much early days," with upgrades expected before Bahrain.
• The focus will shift from basic reliability and drivability to outright performance and understanding the new car's competitive window against the field.