Mattia Binotto, Hungaroring, 2020

Binotto admits Ferrari have lost power due to rules changes – but suggests others have too

2020 F1 season

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Ferrari’s new power unit is less potent than last year’s because of new regulations introduced for the 2020 F1 season, team principal Mattia Binotto has admitted.

However he also indicated rival power unit manufacturers have been affected by the rules changes and new technical directives which were prompted by the FIA’s investigation into Ferrari’s power unit and the secret agreement which was reached between them.

“I think that the regulation is very difficult and complex,” said Binotto in today’s FIA press conference. “I think there are areas of the regulation of the power unit where maybe clarifications are still required.

“It’s an ongoing process which has always existed in the past, will exist in the future. Since last year a lot of TDs have been released eventually clarifying some of the areas of the regulations.

“Through those TDs we had to adapt ourselves. I don’t think it was only the case of Ferrari, I think looking at the power output of this season I think most of the other manufacturers somehow had to adapt themselves.

“But certainly as Ferrari we had to adapt and we, as a simple outcome of that, we lost some of the performance we had. I think that obviously now we’ve got a clearer situation in some areas of the regulations hopefully that again will continue if required for the future.”

Some upgrades the team intended to introduce this year will have to wait due to the disruption to the start of the season, Binotto added.

“The engine or power unit development is an ongoing process that we never stopped since 2012, which was probably when we started developing those engines. Now it’s been a long time that we were developing them. We were doing developments as well for this season that we will not be able to introduce during this season itself because we had the long shutdown period before the start of the season – which has not been the case for all the power unit manufacturers, by the way.

“But then obviously we will still develop and try to develop as much as we can by the start of next season. That’s one point.

“On the other side, as I said, I think there are still areas of the regulations that need to be clarified and hopefully that may be done in order that in the future at least there is sufficient clarity in the regulations to make sure that we’ve got all the same understanding.”

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10 comments on “Binotto admits Ferrari have lost power due to rules changes – but suggests others have too”

  1. What? Mercs set the lap record for quali so what is he smoking?

    1. Probably the same as you!!!

      1. Look at the lap comparison posted post qualifying session of Austrian GP. Ferrari powered teams are down on their times.

  2. If others lost some power, it would seem it was nowhere near as much as Ferrari, as a matter of fact, it must’ve been so negligible that it was unnoticable :D

  3. True. Haas & Alfa Romeo.

    1. @ruliemaulana Right. By others he means Ferrari customer teams.

      1. @phillyspur No. Speed traps in Austria were 10 kph down on last season, Ferrari was 20 kph down. Top speeds in testing were down too but at that time I felt it was normal. Nice to see Binotto mention that others are down too, I’ve pointed that out too, like 20 times
        Binotto mentioned the engine at launch, then in pre-season testing and then in Austria, somehow, he is only now admitting something he has admited all the while.
        I really would like to see what trickery Ferrari was doing and what other are doing now. I have no idea what he means by further clarifications.

  4. He is such a funny guy!

  5. I have an opinion
    17th July 2020, 22:56

    Rule changes? Technical directives? Only Ferrari and FIA know of these extra rules; they have not impacted on the other engine manufacturers in the slightest. Is Binotto referring to the second fuel flow sensor and non-predictable sampling time?

    The elephant in the room that Binotto, Magnussen, FIA, etc. dare not mention: Ferrari’s engine last year was not legal and Ferrari was not penalised beyond having to make the engine compliant.

    1. The engine was legal, or there would have been a penalty. It’s not the first time that rules are pushed, this is what F1 is, in great part, about. There is no virtuous team and no malicious team, that’s the way the game is played.

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