Finally, there is clarity in the dispute over oil consumption. At the request of Mercedes, the FIA has specified what they mean by 'the limit of 0.6 liters per 100 kilometers of oil consumption'. This is now specified to include all the oil, including the one used in the turbocharger.

It was just a suspicion Mercedes had, fueled by the smoking Ferrari engines. Was everything done according to the rules? Or did Ferrari find a way around the oil consumption limit of 0.6 liters per 100 kilometers? And if so, how? The engineers picked their brains since the Barcelona wintertest, how they could outsmart Article 20 of the technical regulations. Until one had the idea that it was possible to insert oil into the combustion chambers via a "leaky" gasket in the turbocharger's supercharger, but not count it for consumption because the turbocharger is by definition not an engine.

On May 14, Mercedes sent a request to the FIA. The engineers in the engine department wanted to know if the oil consumed in the turbocharger counts for the 0.6 liters limit. And if so, would the combined consumption of lubricants in the engine and turbocharger have to be counted towards consumption limits?

The answer from Charlie Whiting came immediately. In a letter to the four engine manufacturers, the FIA race director made it clear that all oils used in the drive unit fall under Article 20. From the FIA's point of view the turbocharger is the engine. Accordingly, the oil burned in the internal combustion engine and the turbocharger must be included in the total consumption.

The German 'Auto Motor und Sport' has learned from the FIA that none of the four engine manufacturers have to rebuild their oil system or the turbocharger. If someone had cheated in this area, they would have had to modify their turbocharger with immediate effect. Neither of the administrated check-ups found a separate oil circuit for the turbocharger. Which means that this case is closed. The battery affair, however, is still a hot topic in the Monaco pitlane. But it should be clarified over the course of the weekend. According to Mark Hughes Ferrari had to drive Free Practice 1 with different hardware, on FIA orders, that would make it impossible to cheat with the ERS, like Mercedes accused the Italians of.

To be continued...