"It was indicated last year already that Ferrari were cheating"

Former F1 driver and RTL pundit Timo Glock has placed question marks at the way the FIA and Ferrari resolved the case of the Italian team having potentially broken the rules in 2019, adding "there were tactics involved" from the FIA by publishing the report so late.

Last Friday, right after Mattia Binotto has finished his media duties at the second test in Barcelona, the FIA revealed their decision to not penalise Ferrari for their fiddling with the power unit in 2019. What the settlement between the parties was exactly, and what exactly Ferrari had done to break the rules, was not published, much to the anger of other teams in F1.

"The fact Ferrari might be cheating was indicated last year already," Glock told RAN.de, referencing to the United States Grand Prix in 2019 when Ferrari got called out by mainly Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen. 

"The other teams demanded investigations into the engine, Ferrari suddenly got slower, Max Verstappen publicly accused the team of cheating and in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi there were talks about the fuel in Charles Leclerc's car. So, I think the engines were already in motion then."

The fact it took the FIA so long to conclude their investigation and that it came right after testing in Barcelona had finished, wasn't entirely a coincidence, Glock believes.

From the FIA's point of view it's very disappointing the investigation took so long and that it got published so close to the new season and in this manner. Maybe... there are some tactics involved."