The 'unfair' F1 safety net that's trapped Ferrari

Ferrari still boasts the best race starts in Formula 1, but team boss Fred Vasseur is far from satisfied. The advantage his team engineered through a deliberate design choice has been significantly cut back by a rule change he calls “unfair” – and one he believes was forced through by rivals under the guise of safety.

Why it matters:

This isn't about a loophole or a grey area. Ferrari made a fundamental compromise for 2026: opting for a smaller turbo to improve launches, sacrificing top-end power. When other teams struggled with starts, they pushed the FIA to intervene, and the governing body expanded the pre-start blue light procedure – helping everyone spool up their turbos and reducing Ferrari's edge.

The details:

• Ferrari went to the FIA a year ago, warning of start difficulties with the new regulations. The response was clear: design your car to the rules, not the other way around. So Ferrari did just that.
• The smaller turbo gave Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton exceptional getaways, but at the cost of straight-line speed. Vasseur called it a deliberate trade-off: “Do we want one-tenth of a second in lap time or lose five positions at the start?”
• During pre-season testing, rivals including Mercedes and Red Bull realized their own cars had dangerously slow spool-up times. Drivers, led by GPDA director George Russell, publicly warned of safety risks – even calling Ferrari “selfish” for opposing changes.
• The FIA introduced an extended blue light phase for the Australian Grand Prix, giving all drivers more time to build turbo rpm before the start sequence. Ferrari's starts remain strong, but the gap has narrowed significantly.
• Vasseur acknowledges the FIA has the right to act on safety grounds, but points out the irony: “If they thought it was unsafe, the other option would have been to ask them to start from the pitlane.”

Between the lines:

Vasseur's frustration runs deeper than losing a competitive edge. He sees the process as political maneuvering – 40% of the grid complaining loud enough to force a rule change after he was told to design around the regulations. Ferrari's hands were tied once the FIA played the safety card, but the team boss left no doubt that he considers the outcome “a bit harsh” for a team that made a smart, rule-abiding compromise.