F1’S FORMER FUEL FLOW METER SUPPLIER SUES ITS REPLACEMENT AHEAD OF US GP

Sentronics, the FIA's fuel flow meter supplier through 2024, filed suit against its replacement Allengra in Texas federal court days before the Austin race. The British firm claims the German manufacturer's sensors—now on every car—infringe a US patent covering ultrasonic flow measurement tech granted in 2022.

Fuel flow meters police the regulatory cap on how much fuel reaches each power unit, a direct constraint on ICE output. Sentronics held the exclusive contract from 2018 to 2025; Allengra won 2026-2030 last November. Sentronics says lab testing confirmed the infringement and that it warned both Allengra and the FIA months ago.

The complaint demands a permanent injunction, lost-profit damages backdated to 2022, and triple damages for willful infringement. No emergency relief was sought, so the US Grand Prix runs unaffected. But with Miami and Vegas still on the calendar, the pressure on Allengra—and the FIA's vetting process—just went stateside.