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Leclerc urges rival teams to trust FIA on engine settlement

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc says the Scuderia's rivals who have protested its confidential agreement with the FIA on its 2019 power unit must implicitly trust F1's governing body.

The FIA and its president Jean Todt have come under heavy criticism from seven F1 teams which have threatened legal action against the institution if it does not fully disclose the content of its secret agreement sealed with Ferrari.

The crux of the matter relates to the FIA's investigation into the legality of the fuel flow system exploited by Ferrari in the second half of the 2019 season and the governing body's inability to assess whether the device breached or not the technical rules.

Todt writes to teams to defend 'secret deal' with Ferrari

Given the complexity of the issue, the FIA struck a deal with the House of Maranello, the precise terms of which are unknown, which in turn has led the seven protesting teams to question the official body's transparency and integrity.

Predictably, Leclerc backed his team's settlement with the FIA and its confidential nature.

"They should also trust the FIA for doing their work and I think it is completely understandable that they don’t explain absolutely everything," Leclerc said on Thursday in Melbourne.

"There is a lot of work also for us on all the parts. So, if you make all of this public you will make all the work a team has done public and for me that is understandable.

"I fully trust my team, that is for sure, and I trust the FIA for making sure everything was okay so for me it is done, and I look to the future."

Ferrari heads into this weekend's season opening race after a disappointing performance of its new SF1000 in pre-season testing.

While the Scuderia's controversial predecessor was fast as a bullet on the straights, the new car hasn't displayed anywhere near the same velocity potential, a short fall Leclerc explains by the amount of downforce add to its 2020 design.

"We added downforce on the car which as a result lost speed in the straight but that is what we expected," explained Leclerc.

"Now time will tell whether we did it too much or not but for sure we are going quite quicker around the corners, especially in Barcelona, so I think this is the main reason."

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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.