F1’s governing body has cleared Ferrari to keep using a controversial airbox fan.
In the Singapore pits, the Italian team was fitting a new bespoke ’cooling’ device to its airbox, having been told by the FIA to stop the practice of crudely covering the on-board camera with a bag of ice.
It is believed Ferrari is determined to obscure the camera so that rivals cannot look into the cockpit and at the steering wheel settings of the 2018 car.
Germany’s Bild newspaper said the FIA has cleared Ferrari to keep using the solution used by the Italian team in Singapore.
"We looked and it and the view is not blocked. It would only be a problem if the view was blocked," said F1 race director Charlie Whiting.
However, while the camera’s view is not completely obscured by the ’cooling’ solution, it is believed Ferrari has succeeded in blocking the view of the cockpit.
"We’ll take another look, but it’s not our top priority," Whiting insisted.