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Helmut Marko slams Ferrari's €50,000 penalty: It's a joke!

Helmut Marko slams Ferrari's €50,000 penalty: "It's a joke!"

06-12-2019 09:30
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Bobby Vincent

Red Bull Racing motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has slated Ferrari's €50,000 penalty they received after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with the Italian team running with an incorrect fuel load on Charles Leclerc's SF90.

It was noted that Leclerc's car had a fuel irregularity, and during the race, the Ferrari driver was being investigated and after long discussions with the stewards prior to the Grand Prix, the Italian manufacturer were handed a €50,000 fine.

Marko has slated the decision, with many people, including Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, thinking it should have led to a Leclerc disqualification, saying he "couldn't see how it wouldn't have been a DQ".

"The regulations are very clear and the mild punishment they were handed for that offence was a joke," Marko told Auto Bild. 

Ferrari have also had their power unit questioned in recent weeks, with many believing Scuderia found a loophole in the regulations and were exploiting the area: "It's about fairness, about compliance with the rules, and about the equal treatment of all the teams.

"Ferrari's engine was questioned on several points which are probably beyond any grey area, but nothing was done to correct it. If we suspect that there are any irregularities, we will definitely protest, and then Ferrari will have to disclose everything and the FIA deal with it accordingly."