Red Bull has done it: FIA presents four new (Ferrari) engine rules

Ferrari has some explaining to do

Ferrari has done some things in 2019 which is not entirely acceptable, so far is clear. An agreement was made with the FIA and with that the 2019 book had to be closed, but four weeks before the start of the 2020 season, Auto, Motor und Sport announces that there are also rule changes, which seem to be in line with the statements of Mercedes and Red Bull.

For example, four new technical guidelines have been given in four different areas. The use of the Energy Recovery System (ERS), the oil consumption in the engine, the fuel flow meter and sponsors ear pressure and temperature in the engine and the consumption of petrol in the engine. These four guidelines should improve the control of engines.

Four new rules

With an updated energy sensor, the FIA wants to get more control on how much power is used by the ERS. In this way, in the future it will be better able to guarantee that teams only use a maximum of 120 kilowatts over a period of 33 seconds per lap.

Point two is about the oil consumption in the engine and the FIA has set a new benchmark for this. Where in 2019 a maximum of 0.6 litres of oil per 100 kilometres was still allowed in the engine, by 2020 it will be halved to 0.3 litres. Extra oil in the engine provides extra power and that is what the FIA wants to limit.

Already in 2019 it became clear that a new fuel flow meter was installed in the F1 cars. Red Bull and Mercedes had shown the FIA that there was a loophole in the law, which at times allowed you to demand more power from the engine. According to the idea of Red Bull and Mercedes, this loophole was used by Ferrari.

Ferrari under the magnifying glass

In 2019 a second sensor was installed, which can continuously measure the flow of petrol to the engine, but that's not all. With additional sensors to monitor the pressure and temperature in the engine, the FIA hopes to get an even better grip on the things that are done with the power unit.

The last point relates to fuel consumption and can be linked to the Abu Dhabi 2019 incident, when Charles Leclerc was on the grid with more fuel than was indicated. Ferrari then got rid of it with a fine of 50,000 euros, but that will be more strictly controlled and penalized in the future.