Ferrari FIA signing knows 'key details' of all current F1 cars
Formula 1 teams signing FIA personnel risks creating mistrust, fears Sauber team boss Frederic Vasseur, who says recent Ferrari signing Laurent Mekies knows 'key details' of every new car
Renault's ex-FIA F1 technical director Marcin Budkowski is due to begin working with the grand prix team soon, while FIA safety director Mekies will switch to Ferrari later this year.
Budkowski's move triggered anger among other F1 teams amid fears his knowledge transfer means Renault will soon understand the inner workings of their technical packages.
News of Ferrari hiring Mekies then provoked fresh outrage over a supposed gentlemen's agreement struck over the amount of 'gardening leave' FIA staff would have if they left to join a race team.
Vasseur told Autosport: "It's a shame that we are not in the situation that the FIA could find a solution to keep their key guys.
"I remember perfectly the situation with Marcin, he was in all the windtunnels two weeks before he left.
"Laurent is aware of key details of every single car, even if he was more focused on safety he's aware of the key structure.
"At one stage, if we can't trust them it will be an issue because we need to be very open with the FIA.
"We need to ask them if we're in the regulations or not. If we are scared about this, it will be the beginning of a mess."
The Mekies signing, and the supposed agreement it breached, was a hot topic over the opening weekend of the F1 season, particularly when Red Bull boss Christian Horner clashed with Ferrari's Maurizio Arrivabene in the pre-race press conference.
Force India chief operating officer Otmar Szafnauer said: "The time between leaving the FIA and starting at Ferrari should have been increased to at least a year.
"It's difficult to stop people from moving from the FIA to teams but that time you have to sit out should be big enough to where you can't take intellectual property from one team because you have a privileged position at the FIA to another. That's not fair."
Ferrari supposedly led the push for a stricter agreement but swooped for Mekies before that was enshrined in anything legally binding.
Szafnauer added: "I wonder what that says about gentlemen?
"He [Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne] was vociferous about it. I'll have a discussion with him it at the next [meeting]."
McLaren calls for 'enough restriction' to close F1 field up in 2021
Honda introduces upgrades F1 engine parts for Bahrain Grand Prix
Archive: When the French GP almost produced F1's greatest shock
Archive: When the French GP almost produced F1's greatest shock Archive: When the French GP almost produced F1's greatest shock
Autosport 70: How Scheckter instigated Silverstone's most famous F1 incident
Autosport 70: How Scheckter instigated Silverstone's most famous F1 incident Autosport 70: How Scheckter instigated Silverstone's most famous F1 incident
Why Haas's shocking 2019 should have F1 worried
Why Haas's shocking 2019 should have F1 worried Why Haas's shocking 2019 should have F1 worried
Leclerc thought Japan F1 podium was on after mistaking Perez for Verstappen
Leclerc thought Japan F1 podium was on after mistaking Perez for Verstappen Leclerc thought Japan F1 podium was on after mistaking Perez for Verstappen
Sainz "laughing in the car" as Mercedes repeated DRS trick in F1 Japanese GP
Sainz "laughing in the car" as Mercedes repeated DRS trick in F1 Japanese GP Sainz "laughing in the car" as Mercedes repeated DRS trick in F1 Japanese GP
Why Sainz’s Singapore F1 success was not just about DRS genius
Why Sainz’s Singapore F1 success was not just about DRS genius Why Sainz’s Singapore F1 success was not just about DRS genius
FIA Rally Star finalist claims maiden outright podium
FIA Rally Star finalist claims maiden outright podium FIA Rally Star finalist claims maiden outright podium
Askew hopeful ECR test leads to IndyCar return
Askew hopeful ECR test leads to IndyCar return Askew hopeful ECR test leads to IndyCar return
Horner: "Fired up" Verstappen told me he would win F1 Japanese GP by 20 seconds
Horner: "Fired up" Verstappen told me he would win F1 Japanese GP by 20 seconds Horner: "Fired up" Verstappen told me he would win F1 Japanese GP by 20 seconds
Texas cites date clash in being dropped from 2024 IndyCar schedule
Texas cites date clash in being dropped from 2024 IndyCar schedule Texas cites date clash in being dropped from 2024 IndyCar schedule
Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023
Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023 Japanese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023
How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip
How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip How Verstappen’s crushing Japanese GP win showed Singapore was a blip
Why the reality of F1 engineering debriefs isn't what Drive to Survive makes out
Why the reality of F1 engineering debriefs isn't what Drive to Survive makes out Why the reality of F1 engineering debriefs isn't what Drive to Survive makes out
How Tsunoda has eliminated a crucial F1 limitation
How Tsunoda has eliminated a crucial F1 limitation How Tsunoda has eliminated a crucial F1 limitation
How McLaren has revamped its F1 team to become a contender again
How McLaren has revamped its F1 team to become a contender again How McLaren has revamped its F1 team to become a contender again
Why precedent doesn’t favour Massa’s F1 legal challenge
Why precedent doesn’t favour Massa’s F1 legal challenge Why precedent doesn’t favour Massa’s F1 legal challenge
Why Sainz’s Singapore F1 success was not just about DRS genius
Why Sainz’s Singapore F1 success was not just about DRS genius Why Sainz’s Singapore F1 success was not just about DRS genius
The signs that suggest an immediate Red Bull resurgence in F1's Japanese GP
The signs that suggest an immediate Red Bull resurgence in F1's Japanese GP The signs that suggest an immediate Red Bull resurgence in F1's Japanese GP
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.