It seems like ages since Ferrari were investigated by the FIA, over the legality of their 2019 engine, after a number of complaints were made by the other teams. However, if you may remember, neither Ferrari nor the FIA revealed the result of the aforementioned investigation. The FIA instead, issued a statement saying that they had “reached a settlement with the team” and that the “the specifics will remain between the parties.”
However, some teams, like fierce rivals Mercedes, still demanded an answer. But it looks as though they might never get one.
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Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto cites Intellectual Property rights as the reason for not revealing investigation results
According to Motorsport.com Binotto claims that the FIA discovered nothing illegal with the engine. He said, “I think the answer is straightforward. First, there was no clear breach of regulations otherwise we would have been disqualified.”
Furthermore, he said, “The reason we don’t want to open is simple. Whatever we need to explain (is) our IP. Intellectual Property to our project. I think no one in the paddock would be happy to release their information on their design and their project. I think it’s confidentiality, it’s intellectual property protection and that’s the reason we’re not keen to do it.”
So unless Ferrari has a dramatic change of heart overnight, the FIA’s discovery will remain under wraps. However, don’t expect Mercedes to be too bothered by it, considering that Ferrari’s 2020 engine seems way worse than last year’s one. The Silver Arrows are expecting another year of F1 domination unless Red Bull can stop them because, at the moment, Ferrari seems unlikely to do so.
Whereas for the Maranello based outfit things just seem to be going from bad to worse, especially after Sebastian Vettel‘s revelation. (Read: “No Offer on the Table” – Sebastian Vettel Reveals Ferrari Exit Wasn’t Mutual).
Moreover, even Charles Leclerc admitted that 2020 will be a very difficult season for the Prancing Horse. He also claimed that they are 99% certain they are in a worse position than they were in 2019, with regards to the car. (Read: “99% sure that we’ll be struggling more than last year” – Charles Leclerc Paints a Grim Picture on Ferrari’s 2020 Plans).
However, only after the race in Austria would we really know how bad Ferrari’s woes are. Would they be closer to the chasing midfield pack, than to the frontrunners? We’ll soon find out.
