FIA says 2018 Ferrari car ’not illegal’

The FIA has declared Ferrari’s 2018 car "100 per cent" legal.

Earlier, it emerged that F1’s governing body had been in touch with the Maranello team amid suspicions Ferrari is using special engine maps to blow exhaust to the rear wing.

It came amid other reports that a mysterious extra lever had been discovered behind championship leader Vettel’s steering wheel.

"I haven’t seen it," the German driver and Baku pole sitter smiled to Brazil’s Globo in Baku.

But a technical expert told Germany’s Auto Bild that the lever is almost certainly simply a second way to activate the clutch.

When asked about the legality cloud hanging over Ferrari in Baku, FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer answered: "The Ferrari is 100 per cent not illegal."