Ferrari Demands Protest

Even after the Mexican GP rumors about Ferrari’s rocket engine continued. Since the summer break, Ferrari wins time mainly on long straights. The difference appears to be about 55 additional horsepower (40 kW). It’s only natural, that the competition suspicious about Ferrari’s power unit.

So far, the FIA has received several inquiries about the legality and functioning of the system. Yet, there isn’t any official protest from other teams. Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko simply told F1-insider.com: “We’re talking about 40 KW (55 hp), which Ferrari has more than anyone else. However, only on one lap. Especially in qualifying, the difference to other teams in terms of speed is obvious.”

Mattia Binotto is tired of the continuous bickering and lamenting by other teams and demands: “Then the competition should finally protest.”

His confidence comes from a simple argument: “At an official hearing, we could finally show how stupid their allegations are, and the rumors would surely disappear soon.”

As long as Ferrari, at least in qualifying, is clearly ahead of the competition the suspicion and allegations remain.

This weekend in Austin, Ferrari could start from the first row, yet again, for the eighth time in a row. In Mexico, Max Verstappen had the pole but was set back three places due to ignoring yellow flags in qualifying. Instead, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) inherited pole position.

Binotto before the US GP: “We’ve got the poles for the last six races, but only three wins. We surely want to be better than that. But we’re encouraged by the fact that we have a car that can win on almost every track.”

He continued: “We have to use the last three races to develop as a group and to be as sharp as possible in order to be as well prepared for 2020 as possible.”