Ferrari has become the most scrutinized team by the FIA during this Formula 1 season. There seems to be something about the Maranello car that continues to raise questions even among the sport’s top officials. After several Grands Prix, the Italian team has undergone an unusually high number of inspections, with a total of six random checks conducted since the start of the year. Meanwhile, teams like Haas and Sauber have not been inspected even once. This has led some to speculate that Ferrari might be hiding something illegal — but is there any truth to these claims?
Ferrari disqualified in China: both cars under investigation
During the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix, Ferrari faced one of its most controversial weekends of the season. The number 44 car was disqualified after the FIA found excessive wear on the plank under the floor, while Charles Leclerc’s car was also discovered to be below the minimum weight limit. Since that incident, Ferrari’s engineers have been operating with extremely tight margins, trying to keep the car compliant with regulations while maintaining performance. The Maranello technical department is said to be walking a fine line between performance and legality, carefully balancing every setup change.
As early as March, according to reports from F1AnalisiTecnica, FIA delegates visited Ferrari’s headquarters to conduct a series of detailed technical inspections. These checks came shortly before the introduction of the TD018 directive, which tightened controls on aerodynamic flexibility — particularly on the car’s wings. Ferrari’s rear and front wing components have since been a repeated subject of scrutiny.
Ferrari’s problems go beyond the track
According to Corriere della Sera, the relationship between Ferrari and the FIA is far from ideal. The constant pressure and repeated checks have reportedly forced the Scuderia to operate in an overly cautious mode. The data speaks for itself: Ferrari has been randomly selected for inspections six times, while other leading teams like Red Bull and McLaren have been checked less than half as often.
Because of this tense environment, Ferrari has been compelled to “play it safe,” adopting conservative setups and avoiding riskier technical solutions that might push the performance envelope. While this strategy minimizes regulatory risks, it has also limited the team’s ability to innovate and develop aggressively throughout the season. As a result, the fear of regulatory repercussions has slowed Ferrari’s development rate and restricted its competitiveness in the fight at the top of Formula 1.
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