Ferrari has been cleared of any wrongdoing when it used a coded message during the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
The FIA recently clamped down on team-to-driver communications which includes radio and pitboard messages. The governing body made it clear that coded messages wouldn't be permitted either.
However during the Australian GP, a rival team spotted Ferrari using what it believed was an illegal message and reported the matter to the race stewards.
That coded message, delivered by a pitboard to Sebastian Vettel, read: "-3.2 LFS6 P1".
Following an investigation, in which Ferrari provided the FIA with an explanation as to the meaning of the message, it has been decided that whilst the message would be banned under normal conditions, due to the circumstances, no action would be taken.
During the race, a mid-race red flag caused by Fernando Alonso's crash, led to a problem with the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) and the way it dealt with the stoppage. A fuel miscalculation meant a manual change to the mixture ratio was required, something a driver can do on their steering wheel.
Vettel's times after the change were roughly 0.2 seconds a lap slower, indicating that he was likely using a rich mixture which would have seen him run out come the end of the race.
