In a shock move, the FIA's World Motor Sport Council has today given its "unanimous support" for the FIA President and FIA Technical Department's handling of the investigation into Ferrari's 2019 power unit.

"The Council expressed unanimous support for the FIA President and the FIA Technical Department in regard to the overall management of the case, and strongly opposed any comments that undermine the reputation and image of the FIA and the Formula One World Championship," said the World Motor Sport Council in a brief statement following today's meeting in Geneva.

At the same meeting, in terms of the 2020 technical regulations, the council approved an increase in minimum mass from 745 kg to 746 kg due to the addition of new elements to monitor the power units... these new elements being the result of the investigation into Ferrari's 2019 power unit.

A change to the 2020 sporting regulations was approved to allow for unrestricted variations to driver helmet designs between races. Furthermore, it was clarified that the end of season test at Abu Dhabi will be using 18" 2021 Pirelli tyres.

A number of updates to the 2021 Technical Regulations were approved, including:

Changes to the front wing profiles to prevent downwash which would have resulted in a severe compromise to the overall objectives to allow cars to race more closely

Front wing endplates, top bodywork and rear wing endplates have been modified to give the teams more commercial space

Drastic improvements to the strength and energy absorption of the chassis in front, lateral and rear impacts.

A number of updates to considerably improve electrical (high voltage) safety on the cars

Tethers will be mandated for rear wing and rear impact structures

Finally, Kulite has been appointed as the official supplier for power unit pressure and temperature sensors in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons.

In relation to the coronavirus, Professor Gérard Saillant, President of the FIA Medical Commission, gave a detailed presentation on the development of the Coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak.

An FIA Crisis Cell has been established and convenes every second day to consider the latest developments around the world. The FIA continues to closely monitor the situation and its implications, together with its Member Clubs and Promoters, and follows the advice of relevant authorities including Governments and the World Health Organization. The FIA will evaluate the calendar of its forthcoming competitions and take any action required to help protect the global motor sport community and the wider public, including the postponement of competitions where necessary.

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by BillH, 08/03/2020 1:26

"Its a shame that the good work done by the FIA regarding safety and other categories is undone by their own ambiguity regarding this issue with Ferrari's power unit from last year.

What this could do to the F1 fans and those that may have been so is to turn them right off.

My favourite team is McLaren (or insert team name here) and any team that beats Ferrari.

Then again, this could all blow over by June... unless the likes of Red Bull and maybe Honda say, "you know, it's tough enough trying to win in F1 without these schenanigans, we're off".

Perhaps the FIA are now stuck between a rock and a red place. I mean, if they can't prove 100% that the PU wasn't legit all the time then they can't have a crack at Ferrari.

@burton is right though, not being 100% sure didn't stop the FIA hammering McLaren in 07 while in the same season they let another team off the hook for pretty much the same issue.

I suppose at least the FIA are consistent in their inconsistency."

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2. Posted by fenris, 07/03/2020 21:42

"@R1Racing71 -- Irony would be a Fe-ckle mistress, shurely? I'll get my coat ..."

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3. Posted by KKK, 07/03/2020 21:32

"Wow! Now thats what I call corruption!"

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4. Posted by mickl, 07/03/2020 14:41 (moderated by an Adminstrator, 07/03/2020 14:44)

"Such a shock that an internal group within an organisation supports said organisation. "

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5. Posted by yakker, 07/03/2020 12:04 (moderated by an Adminstrator, 07/03/2020 14:44)

""strongly opposed any comments that undermine the reputation and image of the FIA and the Formula One World Championship"

The FIA's World Motor Sport Council have managed to undermine the FIA all on their own by not being clear to us fans and the other teams about what actually has happened and why."

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6. Posted by Spindoctor, 07/03/2020 10:41 (moderated by an Adminstrator, 07/03/2020 14:44)

"@Motorsport-fan
I suspect the Teams had an inkling of what was going-on. They felt FIA procedures to be "corrupt" to the extent that they had no confidence that their protests would be treated properly. A protest, one adjudicated, is pretty final and had theirs failed (as they suspected it would) that would be 'case closed'.

This series of events, ugly though it seems, has laid bare the nefarious goings-on and makes FIA look pretty bad\stupid, opr at the very least weak and craven.

FIA's credibility is further weakened by its seeming lack of attention to Corvid-19. Formula One thinks it's OK to fly hundreds of people of many nations around the world for profit.. FIA needs to step-in and at the very least offer some sensible, scientifically-based guidance as to the potential implications of each Race, on a case-by-case basis. Ideally, as nominally disinterested party it would make rulings which F1 & Teams would have to obey."

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7. Posted by Motorsport-fan, 07/03/2020 10:08

"On the other hand the teams could have protested Ferrari rather than the clarification route, but did not even though they knew they where on solid ground, would the outcome have been the same?"

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8. Posted by Spindoctor, 07/03/2020 7:33 (moderated by an Adminstrator, 07/03/2020 14:44)

"@ Burton nails it.
McLaren were fined $100M for allegedly having access to (but not using) Ferrari's proprietary data. There was no on-track illegality.
Skip forward some years, and Ferrari go into a huddle with their ex team boss and come to a 'gentleman's agreement' which appears to cover-up cheating on the track.
That's not a good look for the self-styled pinnacle of Motor Sport, nor for the so-called "Regulator"."

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9. Posted by @R1Racing71, 06/03/2020 21:05

"@ed
Cruel irony is a fickle mistress....."

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10. Posted by Burton, 06/03/2020 20:54 (moderated by an Adminstrator, 07/03/2020 14:44)

"When Mclaren got done for Spygate, you could feel, almost touch, just from reading the proceedings' transcripts, this smug self-satisfaction and arrogance from the FIA that for such an astronomical fine and penalty there was no need to follow a criminal standard or "beyond reasonable doubt", etc, that sort of thing.

This time they just basically come out and say fully pursuing an investigation is detrimental to the championship. I know it's another FIA leadership but it's still mind-boggling the difference. They might as well just say "right, lads, this is not a sport, no neee to regulate, go full Demolition Derby if you want.""

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11. Posted by Editor, 06/03/2020 19:42

"@ Anthony

Do we REALLY have to explain the headline?

Sigh"

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12. Posted by Anthony, 06/03/2020 19:02

"Not sure why it is a shock that one part of the FIA has given its support to other parts of the FIA......"

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FIA's World Motor Sport Council fully supports FIA's handling of 'flow-gate'

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