1994
Launch-control software in the ECU
Benetton · B194
No rule changeVerified — secondary source
- Legal when raced
- Yes
- Closed
- never
- Survived
- no rule
- Article
- —
What was exploited
A start-sequence routine present in the engine control unit after driver aids had been banned for the season.
The gap in the rulebook
Software is invisible at scrutineering, and possession is not use.
What it was worth
Unestablished. No traction control code was found and use was never proven.
How it was closed — No rule change
No penalty. The FIA could not prove the code had been used.
Why it matters
The first case where the thing under investigation could not be seen. It marks the point where scrutineering stopped being a physical inspection.