F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Rival teams take aim at several details of Ferrari's SF71-H

On the back of Ferrari's successful start to its 2018 campaign, the team's SF71-H has attracted the suspicious eye of a few of its rivals.

With two wins since the season kicked off at Melbourne, the Scuderia's car has demonstrated its speed and efficiency, perhaps a bit too easily according to some.

Recently, the FIA's Nikolas Tombazis sent F1 teams a reminder of the governing body's position on exhaust blowing, while this week the FIA issued a new directive which closes a loop hole that allowed teams to enhance performance in qualifying by burning more fuel.

In both cases, it was rumored that Ferrari was perhaps the cause for the governing body's extra concern and monitoring, although the Italian outfit's SF71-H was deemed perfectly legal.

"The FIA examined the Ferrari in China and looked at drawings of the entire oil system," reported Auto Motor und Sport.

According to the German media outlet, Ferrari's main rivals are still picking on the red sqaud.

Red Bull is alleging that the specific shape of the car's rear view mirrors does not comply with the regulations, while Mercedes has expressed doubts about the clever design of Ferrari's 2018 battery cells, which may produce more than the allowed 4 mega-joules of energy.

"The topic could occupy Formula 1 in the coming weeks," said AMS correspondent Michael Schmidt.

"One possibility is that former Ferrari engine boss Lorenzo Sassi, who has been working for Mercedes since April, has been talking," mischievously added Schmidt.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Williams explain power trick that could define F1 in 2026

Formula 1’s next generation of cars will not just look different – they will sound…

5 hours ago

Williams FW48 finally hits the track at Silverstone after delay

Williams finally rolled its long-awaited FW48 onto the track at Silverstone on Wednesday, trading weeks…

5 hours ago

Horner weighs in on explosive 2026 F1 engine controversy

Christian Horner has waded into Formula 1’s latest technical storm, addressing the growing controversy over…

7 hours ago

Newey: AI has been shaping F1 ‘for a long time’

Aston Martin’s chief architect and team principal Adrian Newey believes Formula 1’s latest buzzword is…

8 hours ago

Norris gets a pole-position welcome at old primary school

Fresh from pre-season testing and with a world title now stitched onto his racing overalls,…

10 hours ago

Two on the trot for Laffite and Ligier in Brazil

On this day in 1979, Jacques Laffite won the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos as…

10 hours ago