It’s not been week for Ferrari fans so far, with many Formula One media outlets tearing the team apart for comments Sebastian Vettel made about the VSC system and the allegations that Pirelli’s new tyres benefited Mercedes (which has since been denied by Vettel himself). However, it’s not going to end there, with some allegations of cheating now emerging and set to be a topic of discussion ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Ferrari team has been exploring the limits of the regulations recently, most notably with the mirror mounts on the Halo, which have since been deemed illegal. But there are now claims that Ferrari may be stretching the regulations when it comes to oil usage and electrical power consumption.
Questions have been raised regarding the oil usage on the latest Ferrari car. It appears that the team may be using a separate oil circuit for the car’s turbocharger. This separate oil system would not he included in the 0.6L per 100km usage measurement, potentially allowing the team to burn more oil than its competitors.
There are also questions surrounding the car’s electrical system, which may allow the team to use more than the 4MJ of power permitted by the regulations. This is reportedly done by modifying the electrical currents in the system and in the battery output, allowing the team to bypass the sensor that measures the electrical usage. This could potentially give the team a 20hp advantage.
It’s expected that the teams may request an investigation from the FIA into the electrical system used in Ferrari’s car ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix. However, Ferrari has been accused of cheating on multiple occasions, so it’s difficult to predict whether or not the latest allegations have any merit.
