Former Formula One journeyman, Timo Glock, has publicly expressed his disappointment towards the FIA for their handling of the Ferrari power unit saga.
“The fact Ferrari might be cheating was indicated last year already,”
Glock told German sports publication RAN.de.
Glock is alluding to the FIA’s initial investigation into Ferrari’s power unit that came about during the 2019 United States Grand Prix. Prior to the race weekend, the FIA issued a technical directive that deemed that any subversive tactics centred around the tricking of the fuel sensor were illegal.
Suspicion arose when GPS tracking during the US Grand Prix vividly indicated that Ferrari’s once-dominant straight-line performance had suffered a significant drop.
Max Verstappen suggested, post the US Grand Prix, that Ferrari’s drop in performance was “not strange” because that is what happens “when you stop cheating.”
“The other teams demanded investigations into the engine, Ferrari suddenly got slower, Max Verstappen publicly accused the team of cheating and in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi there were talks about the fuel in Charles Leclerc’s car,” added Glock.
“So, I think the engines were already in motion then.”
The FIA’s well documented private settlement with Ferrari earlier this year concerning the 2019 power unit erupted amongst fellow teams.
All seven non-Ferrari teams accused the FIA of being unreasonable and unfair before declaring that legal action will be pursued should the FIA’s findings not be disclosed.
Glock agreed with the teams’ anger before acknowledging his suspicions concerning the entire saga, hinting that Ferrari may well have fallen foul of the regulations last year.
“From the FIA’s point of view, it’s very disappointing the investigation took so long. “It got published so close to the new season and in this manner. Maybe… there are some tactics involved.”