Frederic Vasseur explains why Ferrari is against further changes to the starting procedure – the Scuderia is already at a disadvantage due to the first adjustment
Does the Formula 1 starting procedure need to be adjusted again? Once again, several drivers got off to a slow start at the weekend in China, which can become a safety risk in the worst-case scenario, as the near-crash involving Franco Colapinto and Liam Lawson at the start in Melbourne shows.
Some drivers and teams would therefore like to see a further change to the regulations, but Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur openly states that his team will not support such a proposal.
Background: Ferrari currently regularly gets the best starts in the field and would therefore give up an advantage if the rules were changed further. “I think we have already made massive changes to the starting procedure with the five-second rule,” said Vasseur.
The first change to the starting procedure was decided before the season opener in Melbourne. The drivers now have five seconds more time to rev the engine before the start. This has become more difficult this year due to the elimination of the MGU-H.
Vasseur explains in this context that he had already pointed out potential problems at the start to the FIA a year ago. “The answer was clear: we have to design the car so that it complies with the regulations, and not change the regulations so that they comply with the car,” he reveals.
And that is exactly what Ferrari did – presumably with a smaller turbo. Other manufacturers, on the other hand, seem to have knowingly ignored the problem, at least according to Vasseur. Ferrari’s position on this issue is therefore understandable.
According to Vasseur, the first change to the starting procedure was already a disadvantage for Ferrari, while on the other hand the manufacturers who had not previously recognized the problem or had ignored it were “rewarded”. “At some point, enough is enough,” Vasseur clarifies.
A further change would again be at the expense of Ferrari, who have specially adapted their package to the changed requirements at the start this year. When asked whether the topic is off the table for him, Vasseur makes it clear: “Yes, for me it is.”
However, this does not mean that further changes are completely off the table. This is because the FIA has the option of adapting the rules at any time for safety reasons, even during an ongoing Formula 1 season.
