There is no proof that Ferrari is deceiving once more. Due to the fact that the team has previously been exposed for cheating, several individuals suspect that something sinister may be going on. Ferrari is probably cheating in order to have an advantage over the competition if they are.
The brand-new, unhindered hybrid power unit in the F1-75 is met with skepticism by many. Conspiracy theories are frequently based on how a team performed the year prior. The opposition suspected Ferrari’s supremacy on the straights was the consequence of unethical practices from the beginning of the season. Fuel now contains 10% more sustainable components than it did five years ago (5%). V6 engines with 1.5 liter engines needed to have their combustion chambers altered. Fuel change had a greater impact on the Mercedes-Benz switchover than on the Ferrari or Red Bull-Honda changes. Aviation experts claim that Andy Cowell, the former engine manager, is absent from the Silver Arrows.
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Ferrari at the center of F1 cheating controversy as FIA ignores alleged testing rule violation
Other Formula One teams have accused the leaders in the constructors, Ferrari, of violating the regulations when they participated in a Pirelli tire test on the Monday following the Emilia Romagna GP in Imola.
Ferrari is the subject of controversy after being charged with violating F1 regulations.
The Scuderia has mostly benefited from the new rules in 2022, dominating both the constructors’ and drivers’ races. Max Verstappen won the race in Miami on Sunday, but Charles Leclerc still has a 19-point advantage over the defending world champion.
Even though there are still 18 races left in 2022, he and Carloz Sainz have amassed a slim six-point lead over the Red Bull team. However, the Italian team’s competitors are upset since they noticed a possible disparity during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix two weeks ago.
The Monday following the race at Imola, both drivers participated in a Pirelli tire test, with Leclerc finishing second behind Verstappen while Sainz crashed out early. The Spaniard, who had run in the morning session, was observed using a different floor pattern than his teammate from Monaco.
Such a procedure appears to be expressly prohibited by the FIA’s tyre testing regulations. They specify that all components must have been utilized in prior races or testing and must adhere to the technical requirements. They also prohibit the use of any experimental parts.
Ferrari insists that they cooperated with the FIA, which has exonerated them of all wrongdoing. Other teams were not pleased with the outcome, and they have now demanded complete openness from the authority.
Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren, was one well-known person to criticize, saying: “What’s crucial, in my opinion, is that we fully trust the FIA to regulate the sport, whether it’s during a test or a race weekend. But we also require complete transparency. I’ve heard it stated that it might have been an older floor.”
“That may have been the case. But if that’s the case, please show it to the teams so that we can have faith that it has been handled properly and in complete openness.”
The FIA looked into Ferrari about the engine the team was using back in 2019. Brown used that story to illustrate the necessity for further explanation this time around.
“A few years ago, there was an engine infringement here, and there was a hefty fine as a result. We don’t know exactly what was done, nor do we know how much, “He went on.
“I believe that complete transparency will assist the sport comprehend what happened, why it happened, and what has been done about it in today’s day and age,” the author says.
The Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona will resume the F1 season in two weeks. Ferrari hopes to slow Verstappen and Red Bull’s momentum at the same track where they excelled in preseason testing.
Rivals are pressing Ferrari for information over the suspected Carlos Sainz testing rule violation, while the FIA is turning a blind eye.
Rival Formula One teams are pressing the FIA for information about cheating allegations against FERRARI.
The Monday following the Emilia Romagna GP in Imola, the Italian squad participated in a Pirelli tire test.
Although Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz’s teammate, had run in the morning session, Carlos Sainz was using a different floor design. This was discovered by keen-eyed teams.
There are specific guidelines for the tire tests. All parts must have been utilized in tests or races in the past and adhere to the technical rules. No experimental parts may be used.
The Italian team claims that they cooperated with the FIA, which has since cleared Ferrari of all wrongdoing.
However, dissatisfied teams are still not happy with the FIA’s lack of an answer and have urged the organization to be completely transparent.
What was the Ferrari scheme?
Salo disclosed that the primary cause of the loss of power was due to the FIA punishing Ferrari and its client teams by requiring them to utilize less fuel.
- According to reports, as part of the punishment, Ferrari was required to use less fuel.
- Less gasoline meant that its 2020 engine performed worse.
- The same punishment was meted out to Ferrari customer teams as well.
Numerous whispers and rumors suggested that Ferrari had cheated with their 2019 engine. And while the team was unbeatable on power-hungry tracks in 2019, a sudden change in technical regulations brought on by an FIA inquiry produced a large loss in power, which is one of the key causes of Ferrari and its client teams’ extreme performance decline in 2020. Ferrari disclosed a covert arrangement with Formula 1 at the outset of the 2020 season, although the company wasn’t formally accused of wrongdoing. The renowned Italian team was subject to some penalties under the terms of the agreement with the authorities, according to former F1 driver and F1 Stewart Mika Salo, who was speaking to Finnish rally driver Kristian Sohlberg.
Salo disclosed that one of the primary causes of the lack of power was due to the FIA punishing Ferrari and its client teams by requiring them to utilize less fuel. Salo added of the Alfa Romeo team, which is employing a new Ferrari power unit, “They suffered from Ferrari’s cheat last year since they had Ferrari engines and were forced to use less fuel. So I think so Alfa Romeo may be in a strong position if they can perform at their best in the race this season.”
“They are permitted to run the engine at full capacity, albeit I’m not sure if it’s a new one. Due to Ferrari, they were not permitted the previous year “Salo elaborated.
Salo may be correct, but it is also true that Ferrari will introduce a brand-new powertrain in 2021 and may do the same in 2022. Both Mattia Binotto, the head of Ferrari, and Fred Vasseur, the head of Alfa Romeo, have previously declared that Ferrari will have a competitive power unit in 2021 that is not the worst on the grid.
What went wrong for Ferrari?
Ferrari unintentionally installed a set of brand-new soft tires on Leclerc’s car during his first run in the final round of qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix.
Prior to handing him a fresh set of the red-walled compound for the last Q3 efforts, the team had planned to send him out on used softs for the first run.
Over the radio, Leclerc enquired about the tire call, to which the team responded, “Sorry, that was a mistake. After deciding against doing another run, he finished the session in fourth place overall, over eight tenths of a second slower than Max Verstappen’s best time.
After qualifying, Leclerc remarked, “I assume there was a miscommunication, it wasn’t a big deal. “But certainly I brought it up because I was a little taken aback.
After serving a power unit penalty, Leclerc will start the race from position 16 on the grid, one position behind title contender Verstappen who will also experience a grid drop.
Verstappen finished nearly six tenths of a second ahead of the competition after skipping his final run in Q3, highlighting his dominance at Spa.
Red Bull, in Leclerc’s opinion, had been “very strong” throughout the Spa weekend, and its speed had come as “a surprise, since I guess we anticipated to cut the gap in qualifying a little bit more.”
It is a wide gap. I thus hope that it will change in Zandvoort. But before that, tomorrow’s race is coming up, and we appear to be a little more competitive. We’ll see how it turns out.
George Russell, a Mercedes driver, has picked Verstappen to come from 15th on the grid and win the race. Verstappen acknowledged that he would be disappointed if he could not make a comeback to place third.
If he maintains his pace from today, Leclerc added, “I will also be sad if I don’t get back on the podium, but since he’s with me, it’s going to be very difficult for me to go back on the podium.”
But we never know, right? We can regain the lead with a strong first stint and a clean race, I’m confident.
How did Ferrari perform in the most recent race?
On the 18th lap of the French Grand Prix on Sunday, Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari left the track and collided with the safety barriers, forcing him to withdraw while holding the lead.
Max Verstappen, the leader of the championship, raced to the front, ahead of Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes, and Leclerc, who was unharmed in the collision, started from pole position.
The Monegasque, who won the last Grand Prix in Austria and started this race 38 points behind Verstappen, was on pace to repeat after dominating qualifying on Saturday.
However, Leclerc lost control of his Ferrari on the 18th loop of the Paul Ricard track at Le Castellet, spinning off and coming to a stop in the safety barriers at a low pace.
Similar to the throttle issue that prevented him from winning in Austria two weeks prior, this one seemed to be the cause of his failure.
When his condition was inquired about after the incident over the team radio, he yelled, “I cannot get off throttle.”
He let out a loud “Noooooo!” to express his annoyance, but he was still able to get out of the automobile without getting hurt.
Why did Ferrari’s power decline?
A grid penalty later on in the year is anticipated as a result of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari engine failure during the Spanish Grand Prix, which irreparably damaged the turbocharger and MGU-H.
When he ran out of power early in his second stint of the Barcelona race, Leclerc was in the lead.
Max Verstappen won, costing him the championship lead. Ferrari also lost ground to Red Bull in the constructors’ standings as a result of his retirement.
Ferrari claims that neither of the two damaged components nor any other parts of the power unit had a design flaw or reliability problem that led to the breakdown.
That suggests a problem with the installation or operation, although Ferrari is keeping quiet about the precise root of the issue.
At the Miami Grand Prix, Leclerc switched to his second power unit of the year, indicating that he will at the very least need to convert to a third MGU-H and turbo.
Unless Ferrari decides a whole new set of components is worthwhile, it is likely that it may keep using the combustion engine, which seems to be unharmed.
With 16 races left and his first power unit having run four full grand prix weekends, it is all but certain Leclerc will need to employ a fourth MGU-H and turbo, at least later in the season. Ferrari has not yet revealed its strategy for Monaco.
Why was Ferrari penalized?
A fuel check revealed a “substantial disparity” between the amount of fuel declared by the team and the amount actually in the car, according to FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer, who made the announcement less than an hour before the start of the race.
The stewards were notified of this apparent violation of FIA Technical Directive TD/14-19, but they didn’t begin their investigation until after the race.
According to the in question TD, teams are required to report how much gasoline they will have in their vehicles for the reconnaissance laps to the starting grid, the formation lap, the race, the lap back to the pits, and “any fire-ups that would be needed.”
Ferrari’s claimed fuel quantity and Bauer’s measured fuel mass differed by 4.88kg, according to the Abu Dhabi GP stewards’ investigative report.
Although Red Bull team manager Christian Horner remarked “I can’t see how [Leclerc] won’t be [disqualified]” when questioned about the matter prior to the race, it remained unknown whether Ferrari would get a sporting penalty.
However, the stewards decided to penalise Ferrari EUR50,000 for the false declaration, with no additional sanctions.
That indicates that Leclerc’s third-place finish in the grand prix, behind Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, counts.
Before the decision was announced, Mattia Binotto, the team principal for Ferrari, addressed the media.
There has been a discrepancy between measurements, so I don’t think there’s much to explain, he added.
“We think our measurements are accurate. One measure, in my opinion, is not, but it is in their hands.
“We are willing to go into depth and to comprehend, but it is not a topic for discussion or decision on our end.