F1, Frederic Vasseur v. FIA: "Unfair move toward Ferrari"
Formula 1 continues to be dominated by controversy over regulations that came into effect in 2026 and continue to be changed as the season progresses. Prominent among the various complaints are those about safety, with Mercedes and McLaren at the forefront of those who have called for major interventions in this regard. Some of these have concerned the starting system, among the strengths of the new Ferrari so much so that Frederic Vasseur commented with some sarcasm on the situation.
In particular, Ferrari’s team principal focused on the unilateral change that the FIA ordered just before the start of the championship, introducing five additional seconds of pre-start time useful for all cars on the grid to sufficiently charge the turbo. “Without the blue lights, someone would still be standing on the starting line in China by now,” Vasseur joked in an interview for Britain’s ‘The Race’.
“Raising safety issues is right, and the FIA has the right to intervene in this regard. I simply have to accept it, although I remain of the opinion that it is unfair to Ferrari. We had talked about this a year ago, and the approach was that we should design the cars by virtue of the regulations and not vice versa. We had to choose between gaining a tenth a lap by losing five positions at the start and giving up that tenth. We chose the good start. But then, if half the grid or so complains that it is dangerous, their move becomes not so correct,” added Vasseur.
The issue of safety, after all, does not end at the issue of starts alone. Among the most discussed critical issues in the new regulations is also the behavior of hybrid power units, particularly battery management. As historic Rai correspondent Ezio Zermiani pointed out in a recent interview with Corriere della Sera, “there is a serious problem related to the batteries. When it is suddenly discharged, the car can lose speed dramatically. We have seen dangerous episodes: cars suddenly slowing down by 80 km/h. This is a huge risk, especially at those speeds. They have to intervene, because this is really dangerous.” Words that add to the chorus of concerns already raised on the track and put further pressure on the FIA to intervene with concrete measures.
On the sporting front, Ferrari has tried to respond to the difficulties through technical development. Vasseur brought several aerodynamic upgrades to the track on the SF-26, including the much-discussed rear wing dubbed the “Macarena” because of its characteristic double movement, capable of “tipping” backwards beyond the normal opening required by the regulations. Despite the changes, the gap from the top – represented by a dominant Mercedes with Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell – remains significant. Already after the Australian Grand Prix, Vasseur had lucidly quantified the gap: “Overall, they are half a second faster than us. We will soon bring some new things on the chassis, so then we will see what it will entail. Mercedes will also improve, it’s obvious.”
To close this gap, the Cavallino team principal is looking with interest at ADUO – Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities -, the mechanism introduced by the new rules that, based on the on-track performance of the power units, grants less competitive teams significant development opportunities on the test benches. “I don’t think it will be the rule changes on compression ratio that will change the values on the track,” Vasseur explained, “Instead, I think it will be the ADUO that will prove decisive. For us, it is this opportunity that is the tool to close the gap with Mercedes.” A technical bet that, in Maranello’s intentions, should bear fruit over the course of the season.
The situation at Ferrari’s home thus appears complex on several fronts: on the one hand, the regulatory controversies that have penalized one of the SF-26’s strengths, and on the other, a gap from the top that requires concrete answers in terms of development. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have nonetheless shown that they can fight for the podium – the Monegasque finished third in Australia, the Briton took the lowest step on the podium in China -, but to aim steadily for victory will require a leap in quality that Vasseur and his team are called upon to produce as soon as possible in a championship that, behind a hitherto dominant Mercedes, still promises to be long and hard-fought.
