24/11/2019
NEWS STORY
Ahead of the season finale, the FIA has issue a third technical directive relating to fuel flow.
The latest directive, which will not actually apply in terms of next week's race, advises that next season teams will be required to run a second sensor.
The latest directive, the third in four weeks, follows that issued ahead of the United States Grand Prix relating to fuel flow, and a second issued ahead of last week's Brazilian Grand Prix warning that it is forbidden to direct flammable liquids from the intercooler, air inlet or ERS system to the combustion chambers of the engine.
The move comes at a time, Germany's Auto Motor und Sport claims that the FIA has "seized" parts of the fuel system from "one Ferrari, one Ferrari customer and one non-Ferrari", and that a "thorough investigation of the parts will be conducted in the FIA laboratories".
Despite Ferrari's continued denials, rivals are said to be concerned at the Italian manufacturer's significant improvement in pace since the summer break, though it is Red Bull that has been instrumental in causing the FIA to act on the suspicions.
Reacting to Max Verstappen's claim of "cheating" in Austin, team boss, Mattia Binotto insisted that the team's poor performance was unrelated to the initial directive, while in Brazil he claimed that "we didn't change nothing", the use of the double-negative only increasing the suspicions of sharp-eyed Pitpass readers
The directive issued yesterday, stipulates that a second fuel-flow sensor must be fitted from next season and that this will be controlled exclusively by the FIA.
Currently all cars feature a single sensor in the fuel tank which ensures that the maximum fuel flow rate is restricted to 100kg/h, in accordance to the rule which states that "any device, system or procedure the purpose and/or effect of which is to increase the flow rate or to store and recycle fuel after the measurement point is prohibited".