Former Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has raised serious questions over how Ferrari has been able to introduce upgrades at such a relentless rate this season.
The introduction of the new power unit regulations this year was always going to result in a development war, with so much surrounding the new rules remaining unknown.
Just eight rounds into the 2026 campaign, Ferrari has already developed and introduced several major upgrade packages for the SF-26.
It has introduced more major upgrades than its rivals, including a recent update to its internal combustion engine.
Ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix, yet more upgrades are set to be introduced for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to use, adding to Marko's curiosity.
The Austrian is unsure how, under the current cost cap, Ferrari has managed to develop and introduce new parts so quickly and wonders how the FIA can ensure that the team's research centres are not secretly involved.
Discussing the rate of which Ferrari has introduced upgrades, Marko told F1 Insider: "For normal teams, this is virtually impossible.
"With car manufacturers like Mercedes or Ferrari, I’m not so sure. How does the FIA plan to verify that, in this digital age, the research centres in Maranello or at Mercedes aren’t also working on Formula 1?
"In 2021 and 2022, we were also surprised by the number of updates Mercedes implemented at the time—and how they managed to do so within budget. Now Mercedes is asking itself the same question."
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