Ferrari Join Mercedes at centre of illegal tyre test investigation

[steveaki13]

Ferrari now involved.BBC Sport - Ferrari investigated by FIA over alleged illegal Pirelli tyre testing

Was not sure whether to include this on Mercedes thread or not.

Feel free to move it. Anyone with the power

[Koz]

They are dragging Ferrari in just to take attention away from Mercedes.

This will all be called a misunderstanding, and maybe at most a slap on the wrists of Mercedes.

We wanted to create a test that gave us great value. It has been suggested in some quarters we asked for a 2013 car. That's not true.

So now they will argue semantics.

[BDunnell]

This will all be called a misunderstanding, and maybe at most a slap on the wrists of Mercedes.

Given what appears to have gone on, with no one 'side' being wholly to blame, I think that would be a sensible outcome.

[mr nobody]

This all started over Red Bull protesting Mercedes and Pirelli's way of testing the tires. Pirelli is trying to develope a better tire for 2014 after hearing complaints by teams this year. Hasn't Red Bull been the most vocal about the tires? Seems they are more upset that they were left out of testing then who was asked for help with testing.

[Koz]

Given what appears to have gone on, with no one 'side' being wholly to blame, I think that would be a sensible outcome.

So is there any indication that Ferrari tested something other than a 2 year old car?
Or with a driver who isn't currently racing for the team?

[dj_bytedisaster]

This all started over Red Bull protesting Mercedes and Pirelli's way of testing the tires. Pirelli is trying to develope a better tire for 2014 after hearing complaints by teams this year. Hasn't Red Bull been the most vocal about the tires? Seems they are more upset that they were left out of testing then who was asked for help with testing.

This started with Red Bull AND Ferrari themselves protesting. Don't try to blame it all on just one team. Pirelli can't develop a tyre for 2014 any better with a 2013 car than they can with 1950's, because neither of them have an engine as used next year, so Pirelli's argument doesn't fly. If they want to develop tyres for next year, they first need 2014 engine characteristics and data and ideally a test car with a 2014 engine, but that doesn't work either, because the other two manufacturers would whine about one getting track time for the new engines. Seriously, Pirelli would get more reliable data testing a 1985 Brabham than a 2013 Mercedes, because the former has at least a turbo engine.

[BDunnell]

So is there any indication that Ferrari tested something other than a 2 year old car?
Or with a driver who isn't currently racing for the team?

No. Ferrari, surely, have done nothing wrong. I mean that there's no need to slap draconian penalties on anyone, on the grounds that it seems to have been an almighty cock-up.

[dj_bytedisaster]

Well both test have one thing in common. They seemingly went completely without being noticed by the media, which is strange in some way. Considering that some media normally report every little straightline test or filming day, for them to miss two tests that cover 3 GP distances each is somewhat puzzling. Why the secrecy? And if Pirelli wants more testing, wouldn't it have been more useful for them to communicate the tests to the other teams to encourage them to join in at another time later in the season? Maybe there is really nothing to it, but both Ferrari and Merc have exposed themselves to suspicions with the needless hush-hush. On first look Ferrari seems to have followed the letter of the law by using an old car and a non-current driver, but I would hazard a guess that FIA lets them do the carpet dance since, due to the secrecy they couldn't send an official to oversee the test and being left out is something the FIA doesn't take very kindly to.
Also the rules say the car has to be 'fundamentally different' from the current car, a criterium that Ferrari could still have violated for instance by testing some 2013 bits nailed to a 2010 car, which again nobody could check because the test was seemingly not communicated to anyone.

[dj_bytedisaster]

German media report, that the Pirelli test in Bahrain was not run by the Ferrari main team, but rather 'Corse Clienti', a subdivision that keeps old cars in shape to rent out to rich gits for track days. If so, I'd say Ferrari has nothing much to fear, really

[AndyL]

German media report, that the Pirelli test in Bahrain was not run by the Ferrari main team, but rather 'Corse Clienti', a subdivision that keeps old cars in shape to rent out to rich gits for track days. If so, I'd say Ferrari has nothing much to fear, really

Even if it wasn't, running a 2 year old car doesn't count as track testing for the purposes of the in-season test ban. But true, if they also made sure it wasn't the F1 team who ran the test, they would be doubly safe from any risk of infringing the rules.
No doubt the FIA would want to look into it as part of a thorough investigation, but it's a bit of a non-story as there doesn't seem to be any indication Ferrari have done anything wrong.