Explained: Why Verstappen accused Ferrari team of “cheating”
Ferrari’s dramatic loss of pace during the United States Grand Prix weekend increased speculation around what might be behind its straightline speed advantage in the 2019 Formula 1 season.
Its rivals suspect a technical directive clarification from the FIA about the cars’ fuel-flow meters could have thwarted a trick Ferrari had come up with, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen went as far as saying Ferrari’s drop in pace at Austin was “what happens when you stop cheating”.
With no firm evidence to analyse, and Ferrari claiming those accusations are “completely wrong”, Edd Straw and Scott Mitchell assess how the situation has moved on now weeks of debate behind the scenes is finally evolving into some finger-pointing in public.
Share Or Save This Story
How the FIA plans to differentiate between Rally1 and Rally2 in WRC 2027
“Too slow” Marco Bezzecchi baffled by lack of pace in Japanese GP sprint
What's actually going on with George Russell's FIA cooling vest complaints
Andrea Stella explains recurring Lando Norris straightline speed issue after Bahrain GP qualifying
How drivers waiting in the wings can still make their presence count in F1
What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Bahrain GP in Malaysia
The hidden F1 performance differentiator nobody is talking about in 2026
As Mercedes looks to deal F1 2026 knockout blow, will its driver fight reignite?
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments