What impact will the second flow meter have on the performance of 2020 Formula 1 cars? We still don’t know why the additional FIA sensor is a new aspect introduced on the F1 2020 cars in the collective winter tests of Barcelona, but it was not used in Melbourne due to the cancellation of the Australian GP.
It is curious that in the technical regulation for 2020 (article 5.10.3) there is no mention of a second sensor added to the fuel tank. The obligation to adopt another flow meter is derived from the TD 39/19 technical directive issued by Nikolas Tombazis following the Brazilian GP 2019.
The measure was taken after the laboratory checks carried out on the fuel systems of Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Honda after the Interlagos race. The device is an instant fuel flow meter which has different technical characteristics from the approved one and which has always been used by the 10 teams. Everyone wonders why it was necessary to adopt a second sensor when there was already one connected to the telemetry that the FIA could see in real time.
The answer is simple: the second flow meter, also produced by Sentronic, is encrypted. The reading of the data is limited only to the technical commissioners of the International Federation and the new device is more sophisticated, to prevent anyone from circumventing its findings. The sensor has the task of verifying that the instantaneous fuel flow does not exceed the regulatory limit of 100 kg / h at 10,500 rpm. The FlowSonic cannot read the continuous flow, but has a sampling of 2,200 measurements per second (2,200 Hz).
It has always been thought that that value was sufficient to guarantee a correct reading of the passage of petrol, but by working in the folds of the regulation, Ferrari drivers would have been able to increase the fuel flow in the measurement intervals thanks to their own software. In this case it is necessary to recognize the genius of the Cavallino engineers who would have been able to create a complex solution from which to derive a performance advantage without the FIA’s telemetry registering anomalous peaks.
In some limited phases, such as the dry lap for qualifying or restarting from a safety car or for the need for overtaking, it would have been possible to have an increase in power that the British have evaluated in about fifty horse power. The finding, however, would have led to an increase in average consumption.
Ferrari in 2014, the first year of the hybrid era, had experienced a 3-4% power loss due to aliasing, the incorrect identification of a signal frequency in the sensor, which had caused distortions or errors because the the Cavallino team had a fuel pump different from the other manufacturers. The FIA in 2015 had corrected the calibration of the flow meter and the trouble had been solved, but since the need sharpens the wits, it is to be thought that in Maranello they may have managed to transform a problem into an opportunity, so the inadequate sensor measurement frequency, could register a lower than real fuel flow rate.
For Max Verstappen it was cheating, but all the FIA measurement data never indicated a clear irregularity, so much so that the International Federation never sanctioned the Scuderia.
And on this basis the secret agreement signed between the FIA and Ferrari is explained. Mattia Binotto’s technicians at the end of the investigation on the engine that did not lead to anything, would have told by wire and by sign how they had proceeded, so much so that the second flow meter was reconfigured in such a way as to reduce aliasing and the data were encrypted to ensure the authenticity of the values and the secrecy of the FIA readings.
Not only that, but as we have previously pointed out, the Maranello engineers have opened the drawers with their interpretations of the gray areas of the regulation also on aspects not only of the engine, but also of aerodynamics (flexible wings) and mechanics.
In summary: did Ferrari use extra power? Yes of course. Was it irregular? No, because they interpreted the rules in a brilliant way. Did they respect the spirit of the regulation? No, but F1 thrives on such gimmicks: the air intake of the rear brakes of Mercedes, in addition to the DAS, are examples of this.
In Maranello have they gone too far? We will find out in the 2020 season if Ferrari has lost the engine supremacy that Mattia Binotto has always been proud of. The protest of the 7 anti-Ferrari teams is dismantling: Mercedes has called out by breaking the front, even if Red Bull seems willing to move forward: Helmut Marko hopes to pocket the 24 million that are due to those who come second in the world rather than third.
What the Austrian did not understand is that there is no evidence of illegality so that the 2019 rankings that are approved are not affected.
Perhaps it is better to turn the page and look to the future: Ferrari’s willingness to accept the F1 2020 in the next year should have put a damper on the engine issue at Williams and Racing Point.
But let’s prepare for complaints and regulatory clarification letters in the 2020 season. And expect surprises. Because the performance of power units are far from obvious …
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