Ferrari Boss Fred Vasseur Blasts FIA Over ‘Political’… read more 👇 details in the comments section
Ferrari team principal has openly criticised the FIA over a controversial Formula 1 rule adjustment that he believes unfairly punished Ferrari’s early-season advantage. The Frenchman suggested that “politics” played a major role in the governing body’s decision, particularly after rival teams complained about Ferrari’s strong race starts.
The 2026 Formula 1 campaign began positively for and Ferrari. Hamilton, alongside team-mate , helped the Italian outfit secure podium finishes in each of the opening three races of the season. Ferrari quickly established themselves as the closest challengers to Mercedes, showing impressive pace and consistency in the early rounds.
A major factor behind Ferrari’s competitiveness was their exceptional getaway performance at race starts. The Scuderia had developed a power unit capable of handling turbo spool-up more effectively than many rival manufacturers. While other teams struggled to generate immediate power off the line, Ferrari drivers consistently launched strongly and gained valuable positions during the opening moments of races.
However, concerns from several teams soon reached the FIA. Some competitors argued that the differing turbo response times created safety concerns, with certain cars struggling badly during race starts and risking dangerous situations on the grid. In response, the FIA introduced a revised pre-start system designed to give all drivers extra time to prepare their power units before lights out.
The updated process included the addition of a blue warning light, allowing teams more time to spool up their turbos before the official start sequence begins. While the change was intended to improve consistency and safety across the grid, Ferrari boss Vasseur believes the move unfairly erased an advantage his team had legitimately engineered within the regulations.
Speaking about the issue, Vasseur expressed frustration that Ferrari had previously raised concerns regarding start procedures last season, only to be told by the FIA that teams needed to adapt their cars to the regulations rather than expect the rules to change in their favour. According to Vasseur, Ferrari followed that advice, invested heavily in solving the issue, and succeeded — only for the regulations to later be adjusted after complaints from rival outfits.
The Ferrari chief pointed out that the team had discussions with the FIA through both the Sporting Advisory Committee and the Power Unit Advisory Committee. During those conversations, he said the governing body made it clear that engineering solutions were the responsibility of the teams themselves.
Because of that earlier stance, Vasseur now feels the latest intervention contradicts the FIA’s previous position. While he acknowledged that the governing body has the right to make changes on safety grounds, he questioned whether the decision was truly fair to Ferrari after the effort they had put into mastering the technical challenge.
Vasseur also hinted that pressure from other teams heavily influenced the outcome. He argued that several competitors exaggerated the danger surrounding poor race starts in order to convince the FIA to intervene. According to him, around 40 percent of the grid pushed hard for changes once Ferrari’s advantage became obvious.
Although Ferrari remain competitive heading deeper into the 2026 season, the rule tweak appears to have helped rivals close the gap. At the recent , both and showed major improvements and looked considerably stronger against Ferrari than they had during the opening rounds.
The controversy has once again sparked debate over how much influence teams should have over mid-season rule adjustments in Formula 1. While the FIA maintains that safety must always come first, Ferrari clearly feel their technical innovation has been penalised after they successfully solved a problem that others could not.