Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur says it is time to stop tinkering with Formula 1’s race-start procedure, insisting “enough is enough”.
Ferrari’s explosive getaways have been a talking point in the opening two rounds of the season, with Charles Leclerc leaping to the lead in Australia and Lewis Hamilton doing the same in China from the second row. The sport introduced a five-second “pre-start” procedure this year after power unit regulation changes made starts more complex.
After varied starts in Melbourne, Mercedes driver George Russell suggested further adjustments were needed and implied Ferrari were being “selfish” for blocking more change. Speaking after the Chinese Grand Prix, where Hamilton moved from third to first into Turn One, Vasseur said Ferrari had already given ground on the issue.
“We already changed massively the rule of the start with the five-second story,” Vasseur said. He recalled raising concerns with the FIA a year ago about the starting procedure, but being told teams must design their cars to meet the regulations rather than change the rules to suit a 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.” When asked if the matter was closed, he replied, “For me, yes.”
Beyond starts, Ferrari was among the teams pushing for changes to engine compression ratio testing after believing Mercedes had exploited a loophole. From June 1 — after the season’s fifth round, following cancellations in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia — engines will be tested in both hot and cold conditions.
Vasseur played down the likelihood that the compression ratio tweak will be decisive, but pointed to new 2026 rules on in-season power unit upgrades as an opportunity. The regulations introduce three periods of Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) during the season; manufacturers judged at least two percent behind the best internal combustion engine will be allowed development chances this year and next. The first ADUO is scheduled after the sixth round.
“I’m not convinced that the new compression ratio rule will be a gamechanger,” Vasseur said. “It’s more that you will have the ADUO at one stage and the introduction of the ADUO will be an opportunity for us to close the gap but once again it’s not just about pure performance.”
He warned against focusing on a single area: “I think you have a lot in the energy management, a lot in the chassis and it would be a mistake from our side to be just focused on one parameter.”
On performance deficits to Mercedes — the one-two finishers in the opening two races — Vasseur acknowledged Ferrari are behind, particularly in straight-line speed. “We know that we have a deficit of performance, mainly in the straight line. We have to work on it. We are improving because we were eight tenths off in Melbourne, six tenths on Friday in China, four tenths on Saturday.”
Vasseur said progress is incremental but ongoing: “Step by step we are understanding a bit more the situation and closing the gap, but they are still far away. It’s not just about the engine. We have to work everywhere. We have to improve on the chassis and the tyres like always. Racing didn’t change. All the components of the performance are still on the table and we don’t have to be focused only on one parameter, but it’s a challenge.”
Formula 1 next visits Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix on March 27-29.