In the third season of the Netflix series Drive to Survive, we get a look behind the scenes of Formula 1. It also includes the notorious case of the allegedly illegal Ferrari engines. Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto, however, insists that the team has never done anything illegal.
After the summer break in 2019, Ferrari had miraculously become blisteringly fast. The team won several races in a row, including races where the top speed of the engine matters. Qualifying sessions were also dominated by Ferrari.
According to Mattia Binotto the Ferrari engine was legal
For Red Bull Racing and Mercedes this was enough reason to have the legality of the engine investigated, Christian Horner confirms in the series. After this the FIA came up with a clarification of the technical regulations regarding fuel consumption. Following this change, Ferrari fell dramatically when Charles Leclerc finished the next race over fifty seconds behind Mercedes and Red Bull.
Ahead of the start of the 2020 Formula 1 season, the FIA announced that ‘irregularities’ had been found in the Ferrari powerplant, and that an undisclosed agreement had been made to prevent a recurrence. Despite all this, Mattia Binotto insists that the Italian side never did anything illegal. “We never broke the rules, those are just rumours. There ‘s not much else to add, it’s a closed issue,” said the Ferrari team boss.
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