The FIA said the same team could have a car inspected twice in a row under the new system for the 2021 season.
For this season, the FIA has indicated that after each Grand Prix a car will be selected to be tested. After the Bahrain Grand Prix, Valtteri Bottas’ Mercedes was the first to be examined.
What the FIA no longer wants reports of fraud to be circulated in the media, as has been the practice in the past when they confiscate a part but at the same time do not want to walk away from whistleblowers who can report their suspicions to the FIA.
“That’s why we announced it. We don’t want journalists to write about suspected fraud straight away, ”FIA technical director Nikolas Tombazis told RacingNews365.com.
“In the past, we sometimes confiscated certain parts, which resulted in wild stories being written.
“We want people to see that we are doing our work more accurately. Cars are always more complex and difficult to fathom, and there are few ways to really go into detail on a weekend.
“We still rely on whistleblowers, but these controls add an additional one Element. In any case, all teams are suspicious of the competitor’s foul and I’m sure that sometimes things actually happen without our knowledge. “
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But what if a car is selected and the check passes? Does that mean it’s clear for the rest of the season?
Well actually not at all. Tombazis said teams shouldn’t get complacent as the same car could be selected twice in a row.
“We don’t want the teams to be complacent and think it was my turn last week, now I’m getting out. In theory, a car can be named twice in a row, ”he confirmed.
“We will determine in advance what we will enlarge. We hope we never find anything because we don’t want to find out that teams are cheating. If so, we’ll ask the team if the other car is the same. If the team does something that is not allowed, we want to take action immediately. “
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