Formula 1 race director Charlie Whiting is adamant that the ‘sharing’ of technology between Ferrari and Haas is all above board and the two teams are not breaking any rules.
Some rival teams have accused Haas of fielding a replica of last year’s Ferrari and have questioned the legality of the partnership between the Italian and the American team.
Neither Haas cars finished the race due to a pitstop fiasco but both were running in strong positions before they parked on the side of the circuit. Nevertheless, early evidence suggests Haas have catapulted up the pecking order and could well be fourth behind the big three teams.
But Whiting is convinced that all is in order, “We know exactly what’s going on between Haas and Ferrari, which is completely legal. Last year we had one team expressing some concerns, but we’ve not seen anything that concerns us.”
Haas’s chassis is built by Dallara in Italy. The team use Ferrari engines, gearboxes and front suspension as well as other parts they are allowed to buy in, and they have access to the Ferrari wind tunnel.
Team chief Guenther Steiner declared ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, “I’m perfectly fine with how we do business,” said Steiner.
“We design our own aero, as per the regulations, and yes, we use mechanical parts from Ferrari, but everybody’s known that for the past two years. We are well above board, and happy to be where we are,” added Steiner.
Big Question Is the Haas-Ferrari partnership out of order?