Marko slams FIA “scandal” amid Ferrari F1 engine row

Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmet Marko believes his team wrongfully lost £21million due to the FIA’s handling of its investigation into Ferrari’s 2019 Formula 1 engine.

On Thursday, the FIA admitted it was “not fully satisfied” that Ferrari had fully complied with the regulations at all times when operating its power unit last year but could not prove its case and therefore agreed a settlement with the Italian squad.

Earlier this week, seven of Ferrari’s rivals - Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, Renault, AlphaTauri, Racing Point and Williams - signed a joint statement demanding "full disclosure” and “transparency” on the matter following the FIA’s initial release about the settlement.

Speaking in response to the FIA’s statement, Marko felt Red Bull should be entitled to sue the world championship’s governing body for missing out on the prize money it would have received had Ferrari been found guilty and subsequently punished.

“The conduct of the FIA is the real scandal,” Marko told Germany’s Der Spiegel.

“We should have instructed team principal Christian Horner to sue for the £21m that would have been awarded if Ferrari had been punished accordingly.”

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was also displeased with the FIA’s explanation of events, describing the situation as “a huge mess”.

“It's not okay what Ferrari did, but even less how the Fia handles it,” he added. “All other teams are upset."

Red Bull finished third in the 2019 constructors’ championship, just 87 points adrift of Ferrari in second spot.

During its competitive run of form after the summer break, Ferrari claimed three consecutive victories in Belgium, Italy and Singapore, before its pace tailed off again in the latter rounds of the season when the FIA issued a technical directive amid growing suspicion from rival teams.