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the-internal-fable-for-the-secret-deal-between-fia-and-ferrari

(Motorsport-Total.com) – Dear readers,

Mattia Binotto, Sebastian Vettel

© LAT

Now it becomes clear why Ferrari 2020 too little engine power must argue Zoom Download

es battle 15: 30 Clock when Mattia Binotto appeared in Barcelona on Friday afternoon. An actually harmless media event. He repeated many things he had said before. That others are faster than Ferrari, that he does not expect to be victorious in Melbourne. And no, that's not a bluff, not a deep stack. But the truth.

Less than three hours later (the FIA ​​email landed at point 17 : 49 CET in our inbox) Ferrari was hit by an earthquake. One with a very harmless-sounding title: “FIA ends analysis of Formula 1 vitality unit of Scuderia Ferrari”, is in the subject line of the highly explosive document (at the end of this column in the customary wording).

Max Verstappen has already referred to the Ferrari engine in November 2019 put the bad word “cheat” in your mouth. Highly official, as part of an FIA press conference. And he was reprimanded for it. Sebastian Vettel, representing the Ferrari Camp, fired a verbal salvo towards Verstappen .

Now is the 22 – Yearlings rehabilitated.

FIA broadcast: Changed into between the lines is

For the FIA ​​announcement from Friday evening there is only one reading among experts: The Ferrari engine has 2019 did not comply with the regulations – exactly as many suspected anyway , After all, Ferrari has freely agreed to a deal with the FIA, which leaves Ferrari out in a crooked light. Even without a very specific guilty verdict.

We deduce from this: Ferrari would never have accepted such a look if one was not aware of any guilt. And one wonders now: Why isn't Ferrari punished? And used to be is swept under the carpet under the guise of a “settlement”?

It is no coincidence that the FIA ​​broadcast was published ten minutes before the end of the last test day. At the time, the journalists were busy writing and disseminating their high-reach reports from the most important test day in winter. And most of the team bosses had long since left the paddock.

Probably those responsible hoped that no media representative would speak to a team boss until the small Formula 1 community met in mid-March meets in Melbourne. And that the message in the headline-determining coverage of the coronavirus and possible immense prix Cancellations goes down.

We contacted several team bosses on their cell phones late on Friday evening. Three actually called back – and were quite willing to talk. Nobody wanted to make an official statement. Understandable on such an explosive topic. But that, used to be told behind the scenes, is a little inferior to the “Crashgate” affair in terms of the thriller potential.

2019: So it all started …

That Ferrari said casually ” shit “, you already guessed 2019 when Ferrari suddenly had the best engine in the field overnight. The competition teams fired the FIA ​​with technical inquiries based on their suspicions. In response, the FIA ​​released a number of technical guidelines. Initially without effects.

It wasn't until autumn, when the Formula 1 circus was just in America, that the “shotguns” from Crimson Bull, Mercedes & Co. hit the bull's-eye. The FIA ​​eliminated a regular gray area in terms of gas flow. How exactly that works We have already discussed this in our great video review of the year.

At the latest in Abu Dhabi battle the patience of Crimson Bull and Mercedes at the end. There was a secret meeting. On the Sunday before the race, the amount of gasoline on the data sheet submitted by Ferrari to the FIA ​​did not match the actual amount of gasoline in Charles Leclerc's tank. The FIA ​​let Ferrari with 50. 000 Euro fine get away.

About the iciness it only became superficially calmer in the matter. But behind the scenes, the pressure on the FIA ​​to do something increased. The look, if the suspicions against a crew are confirmed, but there are no consequences, is inevitably wrong. Especially when the FIA ​​President is called Jean Todt and the crew Ferrari.

Helmut Marko has already ended 2019 opposite 'Motorsport-Total.com 'unmistakably clear: “I assume that such Ferrari escapades will not take place next year.” If the FIA ​​does not act, Crimson Bull will take action, he announced: “If we 2020 again if we suspect that there are irregularities, we will definitely file Sigh. “

Whistleblowers get the ball rolling

In The following weeks happened two crucial things in history. First, whistleblowers from the Ferrari camp, possibly those who were unhappy with Binotto's leadership style or simply didn't want to be involved in fraudulent activities, provided the investigators with crucial clues that bothered Ferrari. At least one of our informers claims.

In parallel, more and more information from FIA circles leaked to some groups. Officially, the FIA ​​did not inform the other nine groups before Friday evening about the status of the investigations against Ferrari and the planned broadcast. Unofficially, some team bosses already knew in December, some only in January: The rope around Ferrari continues to tighten.


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The FIA, so say people who really need to know (and attach great importance to their anonymity), showed little interest in publicly accusing Ferrari of fraud. In the best case, because you were afraid that the allegations could not be sufficiently substantiated if you were to go through a tough appeals process.

In the worst case, because powerful, influential men prevent the FIA wanted Ferrari to be damaged. In addition, in a sport-politically highly sensitive segment, in which a new Concorde settlement is currently being negotiated. A sniffed Ferrari crew that threatens to exit the Immense Prix circus would be for the Market price of Formula 1 and rights holder Liberty Media a disaster.

Meetings: Why did Binotto suddenly become tame?

Some already suspected the end 2019 that itself concoct dark clouds over Ferrari. Binotto battle always appeared quite confident in various meetings until autumn. Then he suddenly became subdued. The change of character coincides with the time when Ferrari raised its concerns about the new rules 2021 suddenly gave up and the Withdrawn threat of veto .

And as Ferrari in Austin, as the first had hit the technical guideline, suddenly followed on the straights, Binotto suddenly spoke of a change in tactics. So far, the region-up has always relied on little air resistance. Now try it with steeper wings. The lower top speed has nothing to do with the fact that the engine is weakened by an FIA directive.

Sebastian Vettel, Lando Norris

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At the US Immense Prix, Ferrari suddenly followed – really just a coincidence? Zoom Download

Assume bad tongues today: Binotto already knew at the time that Ferrari was doing the engine tricks of 2019 not in the year 2020 can transmit. And with such statements prepared Ferrari's “Alibi”.

On Friday afternoon, less than three hours before the FIA ​​bomb exploded, he said: “Changed into affects the overall performance and the top performance of the engine , we are not as strong as last year. ” The addition, that is because the focus was primarily on reliability, is no longer being relieved.

The fact that Ferrari suddenly loses an unusually long amount of time on the straights had it Competition already noticed in the first week of Barcelona testing. Since Mercedes still assumed that Ferrari was driving with reduced performance. In retrospect, you believe Binotto when he says: “We are not hiding anything. That is our real efficiency.” It is only covered up why the vitality is suddenly gone!

Mercedes press release: part of an overall strategy?

Of course you can ask yourself afterwards whether Mercedes text , in which Ferrari was assumed, you drive with throttled performance, not a tricky battle, attention to focus on the subject. At the latest in Melbourne, if Ferrari could not gain performance in the race, the world would wake up and suspect that 2019 not everything can be done with the right things.

This doesn't matter at all in the larger context of this fable. And the strategy of some of those involved to put the FIA ​​under so much pressure in the Ferrari case that President Todt can no longer afford to do nothing, battle was at least partially successful. Even if the official broadcast reads innocently: Everyone in the industry understands what used to be really means.

At the FIA, it seems that Ferrari is tough even without an official penalty is sanctioned enough. Water on the mills of those who have always believed that the F in FIA does not stand for Federation, but for Ferrari.

But on closer inspection, Ferrari does not get off scot-free it initially appears.

Ferrari: “Cow trading” with FIA costs millions

Even if the SF 1000 in the chassis area is a step forward: Ferrari has lost the advantage of its superior (presumably illegal) engine technology and has been in this area set back by one year of development. This affects the top speed measurements. With the current engine is Ferrari 2020 not capable of World Cup on its own.

Helmut Marko, Toto Wolff

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Crimson Bull and Mercedes had suspected Ferrari from the start Zoom Download

In addition, part of the “settlement” between FIA and Ferrari is that Ferrari is the FIA ​​at various Initiatives. For example in research into CO2 emissions and sustainable fuels. Ferrari could cover development costs that the FIA ​​would otherwise have had to bear. This is equivalent to a fine in the millions.

Furthermore, it is not without a certain irony that the FIA ​​wants Ferrari to help develop rules so that in the area of ​​vitality units in the next few Years can no longer be tricked. The scammers know best how to craft fraudsters, the intriguing logic is. Sounds obvious.

My first thought when reading the FIA ​​broadcast was: If the FIA ​​is apparently certain that Ferrari cheated but didn't punish Ferrari – then the others must also be in the deal Groups have been initiated and have agreed. But by no means: “We are definitely not in agreement with this”, one team boss makes it unmistakably clear.

28. February 2020: Not the end, but the beginning?

Another even takes a step next: The 28. February 2020 is far from the end of the story of the Ferrari fraud affair – but the “beginning of a very lengthy process”. It is quite possible that one or the other will consider going to court against the cow trade. Because ultimately it is also about a lot of money.

If Ferrari finished second in the constructors' championship with illegal means, a court independent of the Formula 1 circus could certainly come to the judgment that Crimson Bull is actually entitled to the prize money for second place, McLaren for third place, and so on and so citadel.

This involves considerable sums. The difference in the “Column 2” in question was between P2 and P3 2019 (as the numbers based on the World Cup result 2018) at around ten million US greenback. Crimson Bull could feel cheated out of them.

McLaren would get eight million more without Ferrari in the rating. And even Williams, the last of the constructors' world championship, would have received at least two million more if Ferrari had been excluded from the world championships Station on additional income of 40 Millions of greenback .

Many reasons, the matter is not easy to be left alone …

your

Christian Nimmervoll

PS: Follow me or my colleague on Twitter at @ MST_ChristianN !

The FIA ​​announcement in the English Customary wording:

FIA concludes prognosis of Scuderia Ferrari Formulation 1 Vitality Unit

The FIA ​​publicizes that, after thorough technical investigations, it has concluded its prognosis of the operation of the Scuderia Ferrari Formulation 1 Vitality Unit and reached a settlement with the team. The specifics of the settlement will live between the events.

The FIA ​​and Scuderia Ferrari ranking agreed to a host of technical commitments that can toughen the monitoring of all Formulation 1 Vitality Units for impending championship seasons as properly as abet the FIA ​​in varied regulatory responsibilities in Formulation 1 and in its compare actions on carbon emissions and sustainable fuels.


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