Ferrari fined €5,000 after changing tire pressures in FP1
Scuderia Ferrari has been fined 5,000 euros for illegally changing the tire pressures on Charles Leclerc's single-seater during the first free practice session of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Ferrari has been fined €5,000 following a technical infringement during the first practice session of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola. The Italian team violated regulations concerning the procedures for adjusting tire pressures on Charles Leclerc’s car.
The incident occurred when Leclerc returned to the pits after his first outing on the track. The team then adjusted the tire pressures on the same set before sending the Monegasque driver back on track. However, according to FIA technical directive 003G, although the same set of tires can be used multiple times during a session, any pressure adjustment must follow a precise protocol.
The procedure requires that the tire temperatures be taken first before any pressure changes, the stewards specified in their report. It is also stated that Ferrari acknowledged their fault, the team representative admitted that these procedures were not followed, which constitutes a breach of Article 30.5 a) of the FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations.
The FIA, through its technical delegate Jo Bauer, had reported this irregularity to the stewards who summoned Scuderia for examination. After investigation, the officials decided to impose a fine of €5,000 on the team, specifying that this penalty was consistent with similar operational infringements concerning tires in the past.
The stewards’ decision also takes into account the fact that the infraction occurred during a practice session and not during qualifying or the race, which could have resulted in more severe consequences.
