Ferrari

FERRARI have admitted for the first time that a clampdown on their controversial engine is slowing them down.
The Italian team were the subject of much accusation last year, with rival teams hinting that their engine was illegal.

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Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel have struggled to show serious pace in the early weeks of the seasonCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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The two Ferraris crashing into eachother in Austria emphasised a torrid startCredit: AFP or licensors
Controversially, the findings of an FIA investigation were kept private – much to the frustration of non-Ferrari powered teams.
But since the rules were clarified through a series of technical directives (TDs), Ferrari have been embarrassingly off the pace and boss Mattia Binotto says it is because the FIA has flexed its muscles.
He said: “Certainly I think that regulations are very difficult and complex.
“There are areas of regulations on the power unit where maybe clarifications are still required, it’s an ongoing process, which has always existed in the past and will exist in the future.

“Since last year a lot of TDs have been released, eventually clarifying some of the areas of regulations, through those TDs, we had to adapt ourselves.
“I don’t think it is only the case with Ferrari, because looking at the power output of this season I think most manufacturers somehow had to adapt themselves but certainly as Ferrari we had to adapt and as a simple output of that we lost some of the performance we had.

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“Now we’ve got a clearer situation in some areas of the regulations and that will continue if required for the future.”
Charles Leclerc secured second-place at the season opener in Austria but otherwise the early weeks have been a huge disappointment for the Scuderia.

Both drivers retired early at the Styrian Grand Prix after Leclerc crashed into Vettel, leaving the German with just a solitary championship point.

Qualifying has been a particularly tough experience with the Monaco-born youngster’s seventh-placed in the first of the two Spielberg races their best outcome so far.

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