Ferrari Could Face “Illegal Innovation” Deja Vu Nightmares With Latest FIA Scrutiny

Ferrari has found itself in a pickle again, only two years after the “Fuel Flow Gate”. While it is still not a certainty that the team will be penalized, the pompous showcase of their scarlet wonder has now met with the dust. The Maranello outfit launched their alchemic wonder in front of a live audience, and the fans were not the only ones watching. The competitors eyed the unusual developmental step that the team has made to increase their speed. And the escalated situation may now see the governing body getting involved.

It is not an uncommon practice to interpret the rules and find loopholes in it, but the governing body has the last say. Following the launch of the Italian wonder, FIA has been asked to clarify the legality of the one specific aspect of the SF23. The S-Duct. The Ferrari have made adjustments to the S-Duct tape concept to create a better airflow. This isn’t the first time Ferrari has tried to go the loophole way to enhance performance. They had managed to steer clear of the fuel sensor in 2019, increasing their performance massively, for which they served a punishment in 2020.

While the Italian team has set intentions to present more innovative aerodynamic solutions to their new beast, the dark cloud looming over them cannot be ignored. The astonishing feature which harbors air ducts in the side pods, also referred to as S-Duct, has already been put in place to optimize airflow to the rear end of the single-seater and make the car run less hot. The engineers have brought in this solution to the airflow as a part of the fundamental design of the chassis and the internal aspect of the car, which will make it hard for other manufacturers to replicate.

That being said, according to Formu1a, a Ferrari technician has stated: “We will have two or three very interesting solutions on the SF-23, a couple more hidden.”

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The Ferrari, who are already trying every trick in the book to not be the first ones to lose, recruited ex-Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur as their final garnishing to the dish. And Leclerc has only positive comments to share about his ex-boss.

Charles Leclerc feels Frederic Vasseur is the man for the job at Ferrari

Charles Leclerc will see his ex-boss lead his new team. Vasseur was placed at the helm of the Italian team to not fall into the same strategic blunders as before. While the upgrade has been magnanimous, the Monegasque feels Fred is just the man for the job.

Leclerc, during the launch of SF23, said, “Ferrari is very different to whatever we are used to before. Ferrari is huge. And once he got here, he understood extremely well the way Ferrari works from the first few days.”

He further added, “He’s very clear in what he wants and he’s extremely good at putting the people in the right mindset and in the right ambience to give their best. And this is very important. So, that’s what he brings to Ferrari and I’m sure it will be a good thing.”

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Can Ferrari find its way out of the legality issue it may face even before the season is underway? And if they do, can they go ahead to win the championship in 2023?