2019 was a strange year for Ferrari as they started off the season strongly but eventually could not stop Mercedes. Things were sailing smoothly for the Prancing Horse until fingers were raised on their integrity. Among those who pointed their fingers was Max Verstappen, who blatantly accused Ferrari of “cheating”. However, that did not stop the Dutchman from shelling out big bucks to join their exclusive club.

After rival teams’ accusations, FIA ran thorough investigations into Ferrari’s engines. The ruling body and the Maranello-based team later, in a shady manner, reached an agreement. Resultantly, the issue was buried and the findings of the study never came to the fore. However, as Ferrari ran their car in the pre-season testing for the 202o season, they were much slower than the last year.

There were many arguments and counter-arguments thrown between the red team and Max Verstappen. However, he had his eyes set on their supercar Monza SP2. Ferrari only produced 500 units of the supercar, making it one of the most elite possessions out there. The car is also owned by soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.

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As per GP Blog, one unit of the ultra-exclusive Ferrari costs around 1.6 million Euros ($1.7 million). Being an F1 speedster, Max is quite a supercar enthusiast. He owns 4 Aston Martins, 2 Ferraris, and a lot more parked in his garage.

F1 steward spilled the beans on Ferrari “cheating” scandal

Rival teams were unhappy ever since FIA’s hush-hush settlement with Ferrari. Had it not been for the engine issue, only Ferrari would have suffered from a lack of pace after rectifications the next year. However, as Ferrari power unit purchasing teams like Alfa Romeo too struggled for pace, other teams grew even more suspicious.

Speaking on the issue with rally driver Finn Sohlberg on his Twitch channel, F1 steward Mika Salo said, “They suffered from Ferrari’s cheat last year because they had Ferrari engines and were forced to use less fuel, so I think so Alfa Romeo may be in a good position if they can perform at their best in the race this season.”

Sohlberg asked Salo, “So Ferrari’s getting out a new engine, right?”

Salo replied, “I don’t know if it’s a new engine but they’re allowed to use it to its full power. They were not allowed last year because of Ferrari.”

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To this day, the controversy remains shrouded in mystery. Was there a violation? If not, then what was it that FIA and Ferrari reached an agreement upon?