FÓRMULA-1

FIA UNDERSTANDS SAUBER
The hiring of Laurent Mekies, a former FIA official, by Ferrari continues to cause negative impressions on the F1 grid. This time it was Sauber who complained about the Italian team's maneuver, pointing out the undue advantage of having access to "details of each car" in the category.The criticism comes from Frédéric Vasseur, head of Sauber. The manager takes advantage and also criticizes the FIA ​​itself, which again loses an employee to an F1 team - as it has already happened in 2017, with Renault."It's a pity that the FIA ​​can not find a solution to keep its employees," says Vasseur, interviewed by Autosport magazine. "I remember the situation with Marcin [Budkowski]. He was in the wind tunnel of all the teams two weeks before leaving [from the FIA]. Laurent [Mekies] knows the key details of each car. Even if he works with a security focus, he knows about the important structures, "he said.Red Bull and McLaren are other teams who have already complained about Ferrari's stance, citing the breach of a "gentleman's agreement." Sauber joins the group, but already complaining about the FIA's attitude."There's going to be a time when it's going to be a problem if we can not trust the FIA ​​because we need to be very open with them," Vasseur said. "We need to ask whether we are within the regulation or not. If this is a cause for fear, it will be the beginning of a mess, "he warned.The fury of the teams has to do with the downtime Mekies will meet between the two jobs. Laurent warned the FIA ​​leaving the current position in June. In September, just three months after leaving, is already expected as a new Ferrari employee. By working in the federation, the employee has developed free access to the F1 teams, which results in the risk of carrying confidential information to Maranello.

G. P.