We get to see what goes on behind the scenes in Formula 1 in the third season of the Netflix series Drive to Survive. It also covers the well-known incident involving the purportedly illegal Ferrari engines. Mattia Binotto, the team principal for Scuderia Ferrari, is adamant that the team has never broken any laws.
After the summer vacation in 2019, Ferrari had amazingly become incredibly quick. The squad won several consecutive races, including those in which the engine’s top speed is significant. Ferrari also dominated qualifying sessions.
The Ferrari engine, according to Mattia Binotto, was legal. According to Christian Horner in the series, this was sufficient justification for Red Bull Racing and Mercedes to request that the legality of the engine be looked at. Following that, the FIA developed a clarification of the technical rules pertaining to fuel economy. When Charles Leclerc completed the next race more over fifty seconds behind Mercedes and Red Bull after this adjustment, Ferrari’s fortunes drastically declined.
The FIA claimed that “irregularities” had been discovered in the Ferrari powertrain before to the start of the 2020 Formula 1 season and that an unnamed agreement had been struck to prevent a recurrence. In spite of everything, Mattia Binotto maintains that the Italian team never committed any crimes. “Those are simply rumors; we never broke the regulations. There isn’t much more to say; the matter is resolved “the Ferrari team manager said.
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Salo explained how Ferrari was penalized by the FIA in 2020 for using an illegal engine in 2019.
Former F1 driver and current FIA racing official Mika Salo has disclosed private information about the FIA’s agreement with Ferrari on their contentious 2019 power unit and claims Ferrari has been fined for the full F1 2020 season.
After carefully examining Ferrari’s 2019 power unit, the FIA came to an agreement with them in early 2020, but they chose not to disclose the details because rival teams had repeatedly contacted them over the previous season.
Due to the unusually high output of their power unit in qualifying mode, Ferrari came under the spotlight in the second part of 2019, and Red Bull made a direct enquiry to the FIA expressing their suspicion that Ferrari had discovered a means to trick the fuel flow sensors.
Ferrari’s power unit was deemed to be lawful after the FIA gave many technical guidelines and Ferrari was not found guilty. However, the FIA said on February 28, 2020 that it had finished examining Ferrari’s powertrain and had come to a secret “understanding” with the Italian team.
Salo said Ferrari had to use less gasoline than the maximum permitted 100 kg/h for the whole F1 season in 2020 as payback for using too much fuel for the most of 2019 when they were able to trick one FIA-in-the-sensor, during a live Twitch broadcast with rally driver Kristian Sohlberg.
Ferrari Engine Cheating Penalty From 2019 Announced in Formula One
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.
“I want to show that I’m more than simply a second driver,” said Bottas.
The FIA declared that “irregularities” had been discovered in the Ferrari powertrain before to the 2020 season and that an unnamed agreement had been made to prevent a recurrence. Mattia Binotto maintains that Ferrari never engaged in any criminal activity in spite of all of this. “Those are simply rumors; we never broke the regulations. There isn’t much more to say; the matter is resolved “the Ferrari team manager said.
Ferrari’s engine was legal, despite Formula 1 executives’ efforts.
Ferrari’s engine was not always legal in 2019, but Formula 1 executives did not take any action due to the difficulty in demonstrating this.
“Further action would not necessarily result in a conclusive case,” the FIA “determined.”
“The complexity of the situation and the challenge of producing clear evidence of a breach” were to blame for this.
In a joint statement released on Wednesday, seven of the ten teams stated that they will “pursue full and correct disclosure” and “retain our rights to seek legal recourse” in relation to the settlement.
They questioned whether the FIA’s choice was in line with its “obligation to behave in a transparent and ethical manner” and uphold the highest standards of governance.
Alfa Romeo and Haas, two of Ferrari’s engine clients, were the only teams to decline to sign the declaration.
When did Ferrari first use an unlicensed engine?
Marc Surer, a former F1 driver turned pundit, hypothesized that Ferrari’s alleged use of an illegal engine in 2019 may have really worked out for the best.
Ferrari’s PU once commanded the top spot on the engine power table in 2019, easily outpacing Mercedes and Red Bull in straight-line speed.
But at the end of the season, the FIA and Ferrari reached a “secret agreement” following allegations of wrongdoing, following which the former placed the Scuderia under scrutiny.
Although the entire outcomes of that “secret deal” were never made public, it was obvious that any punishments the FIA did impose had a detrimental effect on Ferrari’s performance. With a P6 place in the Constructors’ Championship in 2020, they had their poorest performance in four decades.
The transition to E10 fuel ahead of the 2022 season will provide one of many obstacles for the teams in this brand-new age of Formula 1. As part of the new agreement, Ferrari will assist the FIA in exploring new fuels.
Early research, in Surer’s opinion, may have contributed to Ferrari’s impressive start under the new rules.
The 2022 engines, which use E10 gasoline in part, may have benefited from the conditions Ferrari received from the FIA three years ago, according to Surer, speaking to F1-Insider.
It’s possible that Ferrari’s early research helped it adapt to this innovation the best. There is no doubt that the strong drive helps the customer teams at Haas and Alfa Romeo as well.
Even though Ferrari has had a strong start to the season, Surer refrained from declaring them the title favorites.
Furthermore, Mercedes should not yet be written off. They will respond, I’m certain of that.
“I believe that what they refer to as porpoising is the root of their entire problem. They will once again be in the running for victories if they can control that bouncing.
Charles Leclerc leads teammate Carlos Sainz by 12 points in the Drivers’ Championship as Ferrari heads to Australia with a 40-point advantage over Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship. With 25 points, Max Verstappen is third.
Why is the 2019 Ferrari engine in question?
As part of their punishment for the 2019 “cheating” incident, Ferrari was ordered to “use less fuel,” according to F1 steward Mika Salo, who also informed fellow Finn Kristian Sohlberg.
In 2019, Ferrari courted controversy as opponents questioned the Scuderia’s significantly enhanced power unit.
The FIA began an inquiry after being blatantly accused of “cheating” by Max Verstappen of Red Bull, which resulted in the issuance of Technical Directives regulating fuel flow and oil burning.
The Scuderia and its customer teams struggled as a result of Ferrari’s engine losing power.
After what the FIA referred to as a “thorough technical study,” the organization that governs motorsports came to a covert deal with Ferrari months later, before of the start of the 2020 season.
As was to be expected, Ferrari’s competitors were not pleased and continue to call for the settlement’s specifics to be made public.
Former driver turned steward Salo may have just revealed a portion of that.
During a Twitch stream conversation with Finnish rally driver Sohlberg, the issue of what went wrong for Ferrari and its client teams was raised.
The three Ferrari-powered teams had a difficult time maintaining their 2019 pace in 2018, losing the most lap time of any team on the grid.
According to Salo, who is quoted by Soymotor, “They suffered from Ferrari’s cheat last year because they used Ferrari engines and were obliged to use less gasoline. Therefore, I think so Alfa Romeo may be in a fantastic position if they can perform at their best in the race this season.”
They are permitted to utilize the engine’s full potential, Salo said. I’m not sure if it’s a new engine. Due to Ferrari, they were not permitted the previous year.
The Scuderia finished sixth in the Constructors’ Championship last year after failing to win any races. Alfa Romeo was eighth and Haas was ninth.
At the C41’s debut, he commented, “I think the relationship with Ferrari is going extremely well.”
“We held a lengthy meeting over the winter to discuss the areas of last year where we may not have performed perfectly.
“Our direction is good. The problem we had last year will probably be recovered in great part on their side, and the level of cooperation is improving.