F1 News: Ferrari Called Out for Cheating Ahead of Austrian GP

Ferrari used their filming day to test new upgrades for the car instead of just using it "for marketing"

While many call it 'cheating', Ferrari utilized their filming day to test new parts for the Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg. The team made 'late night' efforts to ensure the upgrades were available for testing while filming. 

Carlos Sainz expressed gratitude to the team for working overtime to get the upgrades that were "originally planned for later." He believes that the upgrades would take them a step closer to the 'Red Bulls'. Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport (Germany), he said:

"The aero package was originally planned for later, but the guys at the factory worked a lot of overtime to bring it up to this race.

It should be another step in the right direction. I hope the upgrade not only gives us lap times but opens up new doors for us to set up the car differently."

A modified front wing and a new underbody with Venturi channels make up the latest upgrade package. 

Earlier, Ferrari utilized the Pirelli tire test to make changes to the car's aero for the Spanish GP. And now, they've made full use of a 'filming day' in Fiorano last week to test the new parts for the Austrian GP. 

This progress made by Ferrari has received criticism from competition in the paddock. The competition argues that a tire test must only be used for a tire test and the filming day must be used for marketing purposes only. Swiss newspaper Blick even headlined it as “Did Ferrari cheat with new parts on a filming day?”  

However, if one goes by the FIA rulebook, Ferrari isn't at fault here. Teams are allowed to change setup in consultation with Pirelli if Pirelli can obtain valuable data from it. 

Coming to the filming day, the FIA rulebook doesn't mention which spec the car must be set up in when filming. As long as the filming is done with the chosen configuration, there remains no reason to object. FIA head of sport Nikolas Tombazis said:

"A comparison test of different versions would not be allowed"

Since Ferrari doesn't seem to have violated rules, one can see why an official complaint hasn't been lodged with the FIA. Hence, there is no investigation. 

Did Ferrari cheat? Or, did it make the best use of time and opportunity to go a step further?