Suspicions set in, but the FIA is happy with Ferrari

Any sudden boost in performance is met with suspicion in Formula 1, and Ferrari's recent engine improvements are no exception, but the FIA sees no reason to dwell on the subject.

F1 race director Charlie Whiting acknowledged that he had been queried by several teams on Ferrari's recent progress, most of which appears to be centered around a clever exploitation of the SF71-H's battery and hybrid energy package.

Whiting has sought to suppress the rumors however, meeting with Mercedes team members last weekend at Hockenheim to address their suspicions.

"We are entirely satisfied with everything on that front, as we said in Monaco," said Whiting.

"Some teams have been asking further question and we were just there to try and help them have some peace, if you like."

• Mercedes unsettled by sudden Ferrari engine power gain

However, Whiting would not divulge whether Mercedes' expressed genuine doubts about Ferrari's legality or sought clarification from the FIA on the Scuderia's battery system for its own benefit.

"I don't think I should be telling you," Whiting told the media.

"If you want to talk to Mercedes, they'll tell you but I think what goes on behind closed doors should remain behind closed doors."

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff played down the importance of the meeting, claiming it was but a routine gathering with the governing body.

"The exchange you're having with the FIA and some of the other teams, or engine manufacturers, is on a regular basis," he said.

"It's more visible if you do it on a weekend, on track, in the motorhome, but it's completely regular business to discuss various technical topics."

However, Renault's Cyril Abiteboul clearly indicated that in his view, Ferrari was doing something "strange", although perhaps not something prohibited.

"The step that they have done is amazing," said the Frenchman.

"It's a step that they have done to a certain degree that does not go with a hardware introduction, it's also a step that we see across all three teams, not just Ferrari, which is not necessarily a battle for us, but also Haas and Sauber, which are more of a battle for us.

"Clearly we are scratching our heads, because we look in particular at the GPS profile, and we we see indeed that it's really strange what they are doing," added Abiteboul.

"But doing something strange doesn't mean that it's illegal. I think we must give credit to what they have done, and that should be an extra commitment to work harder, and try and do the same step on our side."

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