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The FIA has issued another technical directive to the Formula 1 teams ahead o this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix.
Last time out the US, teams were issues with a directive following an enquiry from Red Bull, who requested clarity over rules regarding fuel flow rate measurement.
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Ferrari then missed out on its first pole position since the summer break, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen claiming that Ferrari's advantage had been cut due to the directive issued.
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According to Auto Motor und Sport, teams have now been told in Brazil that it is forbidden to bring flammable liquids from the intercooler, air inlet or the ERS system to the combustion chambers of the engine.
Teams have been sceptical of Ferrari's straight-line speed all season, as the Italian manufacturer has held a significant advantage in that area.
Having clarification from the FIA about what is and isn't allowed provides the teams with a clearer idea of how Ferrari has made substantial gains in a straight-line in 2019.
In Austin, Charles Leclerc was unable to match Mercedes and Max Verstappen in front, as he had trouble with his tyres and was forced to switch to an older engine prior to qualifying.
The Monegasque driver will be fitted with a fresh unit this weekend, which will mean a grid drop for Sunday's race in Sao Paulo.
Sebastian Vettel too had issues early on in the race, dropping behind a couple of midfield runners before retiring from the race due to a suspension failure.
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Replies (4)
Login to replyRam Samartha
Posts: 1,172
So if they were doing it before it wasn't illegal or cheating, but now since this ruling/new reg it will be illegal or cheating if they use that kind of technology. But it wasn't banned all season until last race, so technically not illegal in the F1 world; just another team pushing the limits of the regulations and exploiting the grey areas like they all do. Last race wasn't a real measure of the car seeing how it was clearly visible that the tires were not working for Ferrari. It really did look like they were driving on ice. Now, this week, as Horner has said a few times in the past, "everybody gets to drop their trousers and show what they've got."
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Agreed, last race wasn't representative in the least. We'll simply have to see. Personally, I don't think this was all there is to Ferrari's pace.
Sadtomato
Posts: 48
I thought that the FIA had addressed this when they set a reduced limit on oil consumption. Everyone will loose a bit of oil into the inlet from the turbo bearings as do our road cars. However why you need oil inside an intercooler is beyond me.
Ram Samartha
Posts: 1,172
From what I've read, Red Bull thought that Ferrari was doing something to get around the regs as they stand so they filed for clarification. They didn't file a complaint because if the ruling came back and said it was ok, then they would want to also use that technology. Once a ruling was made against that technology, then if Ferrari was doing something that was getting around the regs before, they nor any other teams can do it anymore after the ruling. It's all just pushing the limits of the grey areas. That's my understanding. Maybe someone else can explain it better.