FIA happy with Ferrari-Haas relationship - reports

A recent inspection by F1’s governing body cleared Ferrari of wrongdoing as it pushes ahead with aerodynamic development in 2015.

The story was first reported on Tuesday by Italy’s Omnicorse, following rumours emerging from the recent meeting of the Strategy Group.

The report claimed Mercedes had complained that Ferrari might be violating the restrictions on wind tunnel use by helping the American team prepare for 2016.

Haas’ 2016 car, reportedly based on the current Ferrari, is being wind tunnel-tested at Maranello, meaning the extra data could be fed back into the works team’s current development programme.

Omnicorse said the FIA had resolved to send its aerodynamic expert Marcin Budkowski to Maranello to look into the accusations.

Luis Vasconcelos, writing for Finland’s Turun Sanomat newspaper, reported that the inspection in fact took place last week, with concerns also having been raised by Red Bull and McLaren.

"They (the teams) were convinced that the massive aerodynamic package introduced by Ferrari in Barcelona would have been impossible with the restricted wind tunnel time," he said.

Omnicorse correspondent Franco Nugnes said: "His (Budkowski’s) investigation revealed nothing abnormal in the relationship between Haas and Ferrari, at least in the context of the current rules."