Austin 2019: when Verstappen accused Ferrari of cheating
Archive photograph: Max Verstappen · Dutch Grand Prix, Zandvoort 2024 · 2024-08-25Archive photo · 2024-08-25 · Steffen Prößdorf · CC BY-SA 4.0
Max Verstappen linked Ferrari’s reduced straight-line advantage at the 2019 US Grand Prix to an FIA fuel-flow directive. Mattia Binotto denied that link, while the later FIA investigation yielded no conclusive evidence and was followed by a confidential settlement in February 2020.
Max Verstappen accused Ferrari of cheating after the United States Grand Prix on 3 November 2019, linking its reduced straight-line advantage in Austin to a new FIA technical directive. Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto rejected that link.
“That’s what happens when you stop cheating,” Verstappen told Ziggo Sport after finishing third behind Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton. He welcomed the intervention but said the issue should remain under scrutiny.
Binotto offered a different explanation for Ferrari’s performance: a higher-downforce set-up and a lack of tyre grip in the opening stages. Charles Leclerc was running an older engine specification, while Sebastian Vettel suffered a suspension failure.
The directive, TD35/19, had been issued during the Austin weekend following a formal request from Red Bull. It clarified that any signal or system interfering with or bypassing the official fuel-flow sensor was illegal. Rival teams suspected that Ferrari was injecting extra fuel between the sensor’s measurements and exceeding the permitted 100 kg/h flow rate.
Before the Brazilian Grand Prix later in November 2019, Verstappen declined to discuss the subject further, saying it had become too sensitive. He later told Ziggo Sport that the Austin interview would have been better held one or two minutes later. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner suggested in Brazil that translation from Dutch had amplified the comments.
At the Brazilian round, the FIA seized fuel-system components from teams including Ferrari, Haas and Red Bull for laboratory testing. For the 2020 season, it required a second, encrypted fuel-flow sensor with randomised measurement frequencies, designed to prevent manipulation.
In February 2020, Ferrari and the FIA reached a confidential settlement after the investigation into the team’s 2019 engine produced no conclusive evidence. Seven rival teams threatened legal action and demanded disclosure, but the agreement’s exact terms remain confidential.
Sources 01
- SOURCEVerstappen trekt fel van leer tegen Ferrari: "Stoppen met valsspelen" - TerugblikRacingNews365 Nederland
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