Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has responded to the requests of other teams to further modify race start procedures.
Since the beginning of Bahrain testing, it became clear that Ferrari-powered teams had an advantage at race starts. This advantage, which was demonstrated very clearly in Australia and China, is no accident.
Twelve months ago, the Italian squad raised concerns about the 2026 start procedures. In response, they were met with disinterest from teams across the field.
As such, Ferrari worked to ensure their power unit would overcome any potential difficulties off the line. In this context, Fred Vasseur is growing tired of the recent complaints of rival teams.
Vasseur: “Enough is enough”
Pre-season testing is when Ferrari’s advantage from standing starts became apparent. This was no major surprise for the Scuderia, who worked diligently on this area over winter.
Other teams, however, were swift to call for the FIA to intervene. The likes of McLaren and Mercedes cited safety concerns as the justification for modifications to start procedures.
Unsurprisingly, Ferrari were unimpressed by these requests. After all, the Maranello squad had already raised these issues – only to be ignored.
Therefore, Vasseur’s team saw no reason to compensate for the oversight of other teams.
As Red Bull’s Max Verstappen dissected the situation in testing: “You can always start from the pit-lane, if you feel unsafe.”
Still, this did not prevent a series of tweaks from being implemented ahead of the Australian GP. These changes did not eliminate Ferrari’s advantage, but simplified the process to help other teams.
Amidst fresh calls from rivals to make additional amendments, Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur has a clear response:
“We already changed massively the rule of the start with the five-second story,” Sky Sports quotes him as saying.
“One year ago, I went to the FIA. I raised the hand on the starting procedure to say – ‘guys it will be difficult’.
“The reply was clear, that we have to design the car fitting with the regulation and not to change the regulation fitting with the car.
“We designed the car fitting with the regulation. The change of the five seconds, the blue light story, didn’t help us at all – but I think at one stage enough is enough.”
No further changes anticipated
In typical fashion, drivers and teams argue in favour of their own interests. This means it cannot be a surprise to see Mercedes continue in their push for further race start intervention.
Speaking before last weekend’s Chinese GP, George Russell said the following:
“The FIA was looking to potentially adjust that [start procedures]. But as you can imagine some teams who were making good starts didn’t want it, which I think is just a little bit silly.
“I’m not overly concerned, but it’s definitely a challenge.
When asked about the chances of the FIA implementing a rule change, Russell said that further action is theoretically possible. (cont. on next page)