The barge board - or deflector panel - at the centre of the grand prix row is an aerodynamic aid which channels air to the side and rear of the car to help the cooling process of the engine and improve stability.

On the Ferrari it curves out at the top which further increases the aerodynamic efficiency.

When viewing a car from underneath, nothing should be seen apart from the flat-bottom of the chassis, the barge boards and two wing mirrors.

There was a missing 10 mm part on the barge board which meant the curve could be viewed contrary to the technical regulations of FIA, the world governing body.

Components on a Formula One car are machined to within thousands of an inch. Ferrari insist there was no performance advantage, believing the missing piece could be a production fault.

Jordan's chief aerodynamicist, Tim Edwards, said: "I do not think there is any way somebody would cheat like this because the advantage is so minuscule.

"There is no way you would do something like that which would cost you first and second place."