The FIA has announced all cars will be fitted with a second sensor in 2020 as efforts to stop engine suppliers breaching fuel flow rules.
This comes after Formula 1’s governing body reportedly confiscated the fuel system from a works Ferrari, a customer team (Alfa Romeo) and Red Bull to compare with the Honda design to conduct investigations after the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The story began with Red Bull asking for clarification on three theories regarding the engines, which they believed the Italian team could be using to gain a straight-line speed advantage.
Since then, the FIA has addressed two of them by issuing one technical directive aimed at ensuring engine manufacturers are not adding devices or systems which speed up the fuel flow rate after the current measurement is made.
Then, two weeks later, they made another directive to stop any use of flammable liquid to offer a small boost in performance by mixing with the fuel.
Now, this latest decision to add a second sensor for next year has been made although it’s not known if it is as a result of the investigations into the three fuel systems that were taken but the timing would seem sensical.
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Since the first technical directive was issued Ferrari’s pace has varied with single-lap pace still good but race pace less so, although Brazil was much stronger than Austin.
Team boss Mattia Binotto has denied any link between the FIA’s actions and the drop, suggesting a change in approach for higher downforce is to blame.
And though the straight-line speed of the Ferrari was stronger at Interlagos, the advantage was much less than seen at earlier races.
“Probably the only thing that you could stand back from a distance and say is that it’s two races on the trot where it hasn’t been pole position for a Ferrari and they sort of had a reasonably comfortable margin,” Mercedes’ James Allison observed.
“So it’s an interesting thing, but not anything you could draw any solid conclusions from.”