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F1: FIA clear Ferrari, Haas after aero testing controversy
The FIA Stewards have responded to the request from Mercedes for clarification of the rules concerning technical cooperation between teams, especially in respect of wind tunnel use.
The Mercedes submission was made in the light of widespread suspicions in the paddock that Ferrari has gained from its relationship with Haas F1. The new team is using the Maranello wind tunnel as it prepares for its first entry in 2016.
The ruling will not apply retrospectively, on the basis that Haas was not officially regarded as a competitor this year. However, it will have a clear impact on how the Haas/Ferrari relationship operates in the future.
The FIA have also said that no one has been behaving incorrectly, despite the suggestions about Ferrari and Haas.
"Having examined the reports (including audit reports team facilities) provided to us, the Stewards confirm that there is no evidence that competitors have not complied with the requirements of Appendices 6 and 8 as they were interpreted prior to today's date," the FIA said in a statement.
The stewards have tightened up the definition of many areas of the relevant rules as pinpointed by Mercedes, all of which make it harder for teams to share aero data. Among them is a restriction on staff being employed from one team to another: "No employee of a competitor who is involved in aerodynamic development may be seconded to, or temporarily employed by, another competitor unless such secondment or employment is a genuine long term arrangement for the sole purpose of providing the other competitor with technical expertise. Any seconded employee must not then return to the original competitor without a suitable (or normal) period of "gardening leave" or "isolation"."
One of the key conclusions of the Stewards report is a new team has to comply with the same rules on wind tunnel use just like any other existing team from the moment it is accepted. This has been a grey area, with teams only regarded as official competitors when the entry list is confirmed in December.
"The Stewards recommend to the FIA that in future once a potential competitor (as opposed to Official Entry) applies to be a competitor in the FIA Formula One World Championship and this application is accepted, that competitor should be bound by Appendices 6 and 8 (and for that matter any other appropriate sections of the Formula One Sporting and Technical Regulations)," the FIA said.
The stewards acknowledged that the whole point of aerodynamic restrictions was to keep a lid on costs.
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