Teams survive FIA fuel flow clampdown

Teams escaped the ire of Formula 1’s governing body following a spate of post-race fuel systems checks after the Spanish Grand Prix.

Just after qualifying in Barcelona, the FIA told teams it was clamping down harder on the ‘fuel flow’ rules, amid suspicions some top teams had found a loophole.

Immediately, amid Niki Lauda’s claims some teams could be running an ‘extra tank’, conspiracy theorists connected the story with Ferrari’s mysterious drop of pace in Barcelona.

Speed Week reports that after the race on Sunday, scrutineers did indeed inspect the fuel systems aboard cars powered by every engine manufacturer on the grid: Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull-Renault, Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari, Jenson Button’s McLaren-Honda and the winning Mercedes driven by Nico Rosberg.

This time around, every car passed the checks.

All eyes will now be on this week’s post-race Barcelona test, and then in Monaco, particularly to see if Ferrari’s earlier resurgence continues to wane.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says he is expecting the Italian team to bounce back from the Spanish grand prix.

“Ferrari is closer to us than Red Bull was last year,” he told APA news agency. “The world championship fight will definitely not be easy.”

Wolff therefore warned the Brackley team not to rest on its laurels, even though the silver cars driven by Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were dominant in Spain.

“We have learned that your competitors can always bounce back quickly when you are not ready,” he is quoted by Italy’s Autosprint.

“So that is what we have done in recent weeks: not looking to the left or right, but focusing on our own work to improve the car.”