F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Ferrari fears negative FIA bias against the Scuderia

Piero Ferrari clearly isn't happy with the FIA stewards' last two calls involving the Scuderia, fearing fans may be led to believe that there is a bias against the Italian outfit.

In Montreal, Sebastian Vettel was deprived of a race win when the German was hit with a 5-second time penalty for rejoining the track in an unsafe manner and impeding rival Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages of the race.

And last weekend in Austria, the investigation of the clash late in the race between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen absolved the Dutchman of any responsibility, allowing the Red Bull driver to keep a win he had secured on the track.

Piero Ferrari was clearly at odds with the second decision.

"The risk is that our fans start suspecting a bias against Ferrari. I prefer to believe that this is not the case," the 74-year-old son of Enzo Ferrari told Italian media Il Resto del Carlino.

"We can't afford to lose credibility," he added.

"Ferrari's position is clear: for us, Sebastian won in Montreal. In his case, the letter of the law was applied while it wasn't for Charles [in Austria]."

Scuderia team boss Mattia Binotto also believed the stewards had reached the wrong decision in Austria, but contrary to Montreal, the team decided not to appeal the ruling.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

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