'Tension brewing between Ferrari and FIA amid troubled season'

According to Corriere della Sera, rumours in the paddock suggest that relations between Ferrari and the FIA haven’t exactly been smooth lately.

The reason? The governing body has carried out its habitual random technical inspections throughout race weekends — many of which have involved the two cars driven by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

The SF-25 had already come under scrutiny earlier in the season following the double disqualification in China, where Hamilton had managed to take what still remains his only victory in red — albeit in a Sprint race.

On that occasion, Hamilton’s car was excluded for excessive plank wear — specifically, it was found to be well below the 9 mm minimum thickness allowed by the regulations.

Leclerc’s car, meanwhile, was disqualified after being found under the minimum weight limit by roughly one kilogram.

The FIA’s constant scrutiny appears to be at the root of what the Italian newspaper describes as an “ultra-conservative” approach across all areas, with the goal of avoiding any further disqualifications like those already seen earlier this season.

Since the double disqualification in Shanghai, Ferrari has been inspected on no fewer than four other occasions — in Suzuka, Canada, Barcelona, and Hungary — with various components coming under the FIA’s microscope.

In Spain, for instance, the governing body conducted detailed checks on the front wing, while in Japan the focus was on pit stop procedures and equipment.

In Montreal, inspectors examined the operation of the fuel pump, whereas at the Hungaroring attention turned to the tyre pressure monitoring system, following Leclerc’s unexpected collapse in performance during the final phase of the race.