FIA ‘reaches settlement’ with Ferrari after power unit investigation

The FIA has released an intriguing statement on a ‘settlement’ with Ferrari following a technical investigation into its power unit.

Last season, Ferrari were put under the spotlight with its engine with rival teams suspicious of its operating system which had been rumoured to circumnavigate the strict fuel flow rules put in place and regulated by the FIA.

Ferrari found significant gains with its engine and straight-line speed midway through last year to claim six straight pole positions and winning three races in Belgium, Italy and Singapore.

Its apparent surge in engine performance has raised suspicion among its rivals, with Red Bull approaching the FIA to request clarification over a proposed fuel system solution that would have been deemed illegal. The FIA subsequently issued a technical directive to clear up the matter.

While no team officially protested against Ferrari, the speculation never relented and this has led to the FIA releasing a statement about its analysis on the team’s power unit.

“The FIA announces that, after thorough technical investigations, it has concluded its analysis of the operation of the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 Power Unit and reached a settlement with the team. The specifics of the agreement will remain between the parties,” the FIA statement read.

Within the brief statement, F1’s governing body said it will work with Ferrari to ‘improve’ power unit monitoring to ensure all teams operate within the rules.

“The FIA and Scuderia Ferrari have agreed to a number of technical commitments that will improve the monitoring of all Formula 1 Power Units for forthcoming championship seasons as well as assist the FIA in other regulatory duties in Formula 1 and in its research activities on carbon emissions and sustainable fuels,” the statement read.

The details of the agreement remain confidential between Ferrari and the FIA and no penalties have been announced. The FIA has also not confirmed if Ferrari broke power unit regulations last year.

Ferrari has just completed 2020 F1 pre-season testing alongside the rest of the grid at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and will now prepare for the opening round in Australia on March 15.