FIA President Jean Todt has blasted the seven teams protesting his settlement with Ferrari, arguing that their allegations of collusion are “a source of damage to Formula 1 by itself”.
After the revelation yesterday that Todt had a personal hand in the decision not to further investigate Ferrari over allegations its engine had consistently breached the 100 kg/hour fuel-flow limit in the 2019 season, the Daily Mail has now revealed the contents of a letter the former Scuderia boss wrote to the so-called “gang of seven” in defense of himself and his organisation.
“Building on a totally inaccurate and biased fact pattern, not only do you challenge the decision of the FIA, you openly question the integrity of the Federation and its representatives, suggesting a fraudulent collusion between the FIA and Scuderia Ferrari,” Todt said.
“Your attitude goes well beyond a legitimate request for further clarification, which would have been welcomed by the FIA. It is a source of damage to the FIA F1 World Championship by itself.
“The FIA strongly rejects and denies your allegations. Teams thoughtlessly brought extremely serious charges against the FIA and key officials, notably the president, which are injurious and defamatory.”
The rival teams, who are asking for greater transparency from the FIA in its role as the sport’s rule-enforcing body, are rumoured to be considering legal action should their issues with Ferrari’s confidential settlement remain unresolved. However, it now seems they could face their own lawsuit in kind, considering the tone of Todt’s letter.