This week, the F1 world has descended into chaos as governing body FIA attempted to cover up an investigation into the engine that was used by Ferrari last season.
With the FIA recently releasing a statement that they had ‘reached a settlement’ with the Italian giants after the completion of a private investigation, they insisted that details of the settlement shall remain private.
This, however, is a decision that has brought a feeling inside the paddock that Ferrari may have breached strict engine rules on how much fuel is being consumed.
In a joint statement from seven of the teams, they have threatened legal action and demanded that the FIA release full details on their findings.
The statement reads, as per The Sun: "We, the undersigned teams, were surprised and shocked by the FIA's statement of Friday 28 February regarding the conclusion of its investigation into the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Power Unit.
"An international sporting regulator has the responsibility to act with the highest standards of governance, integrity and transparency.
"After months of investigations that were undertaken by the FIA only following queries raised by other teams, we strongly object to the FIA reaching a confidential settlement agreement with Ferrari to conclude this matter.
"Therefore, we hereby state publicly our shared commitment to pursue full and proper disclosure in this matter, to ensure that our sport treats all competitors fairly and equally.
"We do so on behalf of the fans, the participants and the stakeholders of Formula One.
"In addition, we reserve our rights to seek legal redress, within the FIA's due process and before the competent courts."
This statement could potentially cause problems for the first race of the season in Melbourne, with the F1 season starting March 15.
Along with the coronavirus, this statement furthers the headache for owners Liberty Media, as they are already battling for the race to go ahead.
The outrage was sparked from accusations that Ferrari had developed a way to bypass the FIA’s software which monitors fuel usage by the engine, which in turn would give them an extra boost of speed.
Teams are rightly angry because of this and it's not just because of the FIA’s ‘settlement.’
They are also angered by the time of the release of this statement, as it comes after the designated six days of pre-season testing.
There is also a crucial line in the FIA statement, that being “specifics of the agreement will remain between the parties.”
There is no suggestion that any money was exchanged between the two parties, however, the FIA have claimed that Ferrari have agreed to a number of technical commitments, alongside helping the governing body with its research into carbon emissions and sustainable fuels.