Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto has insisted he ‘trusts the FIA’ after they clarified rumours Max Verstappen’s car was running illegally at the Spanish Grand Prix. There is speculation Verstappen’s Red Bull car may have fallen below the legal fuel temperature gauge ahead of the race in Barcelona.
Verstappen and Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly were late out of their pit garage ahead of the race. Red Bull mechanics were seen working on the car in the garage while team engineers were spotted in conversation with FIA officials ahead of the race.
Rules state fuel cannot be less than 10 degrees Celsius below the ambient temperature at all times. However, The FIA said that according to their monitoring, Verstappen and Gasly’s fuel was within the correct limits.
Ferrari boss Binotto suggested he did have suspicions over Red Bull’s fuel but stressed he backed the FIA’s judgement. Binotto said: “I can imagine it was down to the fuel temperature.
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However, fuel infringements can sometimes lead to more stringent penalties. Sebastian Vettel was disqualified from second place at the Hungarian Grand Prix last season after finishing the race with too little fuel.
Aston Martin was unable to provide the one-litre fuel sample required by the FIA for scrutineering which saw the German kicked out of the final classification. Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was forced to retire with mechanical issues.
The result means the Dutchman leads the championship for the first time this season and continues his streak of winning every race he has finished in 2022.
