Ferrari Privately Settles Alleged Engine Cheating With FIA, Rival F1 Teams Cry Foul

Last season, the FIA launched an investigation into Ferrari’s Formula 1 power unit after several teams complained about the Scuderia’s new-found straight line speed, post mid-season break.

Now, after months of analyzing Ferrari’s 2019-spec engine, the FIA reached a “settlement” with the Italian outfit, the specifics of which were not disclosed. This conclusion clearly does not sit well with seven of the nine other teams.

In fact, the seven issued a joint statement this week demanding clarification into the matter, threatening legal action.

To clarify, Alfa Romeo and Haas, both of which use Ferrari engines, were obviously absent from the joint statement, while Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, Renault, Racing Point, AlphaTauri and Williams all stand against the Red Team.

The statement reads as follows:

“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.”

“Signed: McLaren Racing Limited, Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Limited, Racing Point UK Limited, Red Bull Racing Limited, Renault Sport Racing Limited, Scuderia Alpha Tauri S.p.A, Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited.”

While we await the FIA’s response to this statement, the fact that the sport’s governing body didn’t fully clear Ferrari of any wrongdoings is intriguing. In fact, the FIA said that it was “not fully satisfied” that nothing untoward had taken place, yet decided that “further action would not necessarily result in a conclusive case due to the complexity of the matter and the material impossibility to provide the unequivocal evidence of a breach.”

Instead of possibly getting into a drawn-out legal process, the FIA decided to “enter into an effective and dissuasive settlement agreement with Ferrari to terminate the proceedings.”

The 2020 Formula 1 season is scheduled to kick off in Melbourne, Australia on March 15.