Are Ferrari Engines Legal?

The competition is fighting back against Ferrari’s power advantage.

Kommt nach dem Protest des Racing-Points-Teams gegen Renault jetzt auch ein Protest mehrerer Teams gegen Ferrari? Während bei Renault ein illegales Bremssystem überprüft wird, steht bei Ferrari der Motor unter Beobachtung. Gleich mehrere Mannschaften haben wiederholt die Automobilbehörde FIA aufgefordert zu überprüfen, ob die Antriebseinheit legal ist.

Can we expect an official protest against Ferrari after Racing Point’s protests against Renault? While Renault’s braking system is being investigated, Ferrari’s engine is under scrutiny for some time. Several teams have repeatedly asked the FIA to verify the legality of Ferrari’s engine.

One thing is certain: The power advantage that Ferrari has on straights this season is enormous. The competition speaks of up to 55 hp (40 kW). Converted to time, Ferrari wins on tracks with many straights up to 0.8 seconds. At least, that’s what Renault and Mercedes claim:

“The advantage is absurd and legally impossible to accomplish because the technology has already been exhausted,” stated a high-ranking member of a competitor. Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto knows the allegations and holds against it:

“The advantage is not as large as claimed.”

Nevertheless, the FIA is under pressure to act. At the moment, there is only one official statement. Thus, unlike in the case against Renault, there was no official protest against Ferrari.

It’s also a fact, that the FIA regularly checks all the parameters of the so-called power unit. But is there more than meets the eye? Does the FIA know more than they officially admit by trying to avoid a huge scandal, which could even lead to Ferrari’s exiting Formula 1 in the end?

The FIA ​​officially declared the Ferrari system legal during the Monaco Grand Prix. Unofficially, however, as ABMS learned from FIA and Formula 1 circles, doubts remained.

The competition was even sure:

“Ferrari cheats and the FIA ​​knows it. But it doesn’t do anything, because it would be a huge scandal.”

This year, it is believed that Ferrari might carry a part of the lubricating fluid in the combustion chamber with a “controlled” leak in the oil cooler to activate additional horsepower. That’s forbidden, since according to regulations oil may be used only for lubrication of the engine.

*This article was first published in German at autobild.de/motorsport.