Seven Formula 1 teams have released a joint statement detailing their “shock and surprise” by the statement released by the FIA (the governing body of racing) on Friday as pre-season testing came to a close, saying they had reached a “settlement” with Ferrari following an analysis into the Italian team’s 2019-spec power unit.
To catch you up to speed, the FIA has spent several months investigating Ferrari’s “power unit” otherwise known simply as the engine. The Ferrari Power Unit was the best in 2019, giving Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc a big advantage, sometimes as much as 0.5s on the straights. While that doesn’t seem like much, in a sport where engines specs are held to the same standards, a small number like this is huge, hence the inquiry.
Rival teams had theories about how they were gaining that advantage, but Ferrari denied any wrongdoing. A series of technical directives, documents which move to clarify the rules should there be any ambiguity, were issued and a new double fuel flow sensor rule put in place. Following the conclusion of the analysis, the FIA said they had reached a “settlement” with Ferrari and that the “specifics of the agreement will remain between the parties”.
The nature of this “private” settlement is what has the other teams infuriated. Seven teams; McLaren Racing Limited, Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Limited, Racing Point UK Limited, Red Bull Racing Limited, Renault Sport Racing Limited, Scuderia AlphaTauri S.p.A. and Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited all released a joint statement.
We, the undersigned teams, were surprised and shocked by the FIA’s statement of Friday 28 February regarding the conclusion of its investigation into the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 Power Unit.
An international sporting regulator has the responsibility to act with the highest standards of governance, integrity and transparency.
After months of investigations that were undertaken by the FIA only following queries raised by other teams, we strongly object to the FIA reaching a confidential settlement agreement with Ferrari to conclude this matter.
Therefore, we hereby state publicly our shared commitment to pursue full and proper disclosure in this matter, to ensure that our sport treats all competitors fairly and equally. We do so on behalf of the fans, the participants and the stakeholders of Formula One.
In addition, we reserve our rights to seek legal redress, within the FIA’s due process and before the competent courts.
McLaren Racing Limited
Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Limited
Racing Point UK Limited
Red Bull Racing Limited
Renault Sport Racing Limited
Scuderia AlphaTauri S.p.A.
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited