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Ferrari are being investigated by the FIA for an alleged breach of sporting regulations during the 2023 tire test at Imola two weeks ago. The Scuderia were one of the four teams that participated, with both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz taking part in the single day of testing.
According to rivals, Ferrari may have breached the testing regulations by running different specs of floor on the F1-75 during testing. Pictures from the test show Leclerc running a spec of floor that was used in Bahrain and Sainz running a completely different specification.
Teams have been permitted to use their current generation machinery to test the new tires this season. This is because previous generation cars are not ideal for testing the new rubber owing to the radical nature of the new regulations.
However, teams are still under strict limitations on what they can run during the tire testing. As per Article 10.8 of the F1 Sporting Regulations, teams are not allowed to use tire testing sessions to conduct experiments with new parts. They are only allowed to use components that have been previously used during either pre-season testing or during Grands Prix weekends.
The rules state:
"Cars at these tests must only use components of a specification that have been used in at least one (1) race or TCC [testing of current cars] during the current Championship year. These cars must fully comply with the provisions of the Technical Regulations."
"No test parts, component changes or set-up changes will be permitted which give any sort of information to the Competitor that is unrelated to the tyre test."
Furthermore, teams’ ability to experiment with set-up changes, changes to engine mapping, and any other component changes are strictly controlled.
Any changes would have to be pre-approved by Pirelli before the start of the session.
Ferrari needs to show it ran both floor specifications earlier in the season
To comply with the regulations, Ferrari will need to show that the components it used during the tire test were not new. They have to show that they were previously used during either Grands Prix weekends or at the pre-season testing.
According to the Motorsport Network, the Scuderia are confident that they fully complied with the regulations despite rivals’ accusations. However, the team has refused to provide further details about when and where the floor on Sainz’s car was used before.
Maranello may have found a loophole in the regulations where the definition of “components” are unclear if the design of the said component is tweaked.
Teams have been pushing hard to solve bouncing and bring out better floor designs. Ferrari may have used the testing to try out a new tweaked design on an old specification of floor.
