Ferrari is not inclined to make additional concessions regarding Formula 1’s starting regulations as it seeks to safeguard one of its significant advantages under the sport’s new rules.
In the initial two rounds of the season, the Italian squad has consistently achieved superior starts compared to its competitors, leading the field into the first corner at the Australian Grand Prix, the China sprint race, and the Chinese Grand Prix.
This advantage is attributed to design decisions related to Ferrari’s power unit, which is thought to incorporate a smaller turbo to help reduce turbo lag and facilitate smoother starts.
During preseason testing, rival teams expressed safety concerns regarding the differences in start line performance this year, which seemed to be validated in Australia when Franco Colapinto narrowly avoided a serious collision with Liam Lawson on the grid.
The FIA has implemented measures to simplify the start process for drivers by extending the procedure by five seconds, allowing drivers to better prepare their turbos; however, concerns about the varying performances remain.
George Russell, who has lost positions at all three starts this season, voiced new concerns prior to the Chinese Grand Prix regarding the current battery recharge limit for the formation lap, which he stated hindered him from having a fully charged battery on the opening lap in Australia.
The championship leader noted that Ferrari had obstructed straightforward modifications to the regulations to ensure all cars start with a complete electrical boost.
“Unfortunately, sometimes when you’re trying to implement changes for the benefit of the sport, if a team has a competitive advantage — like Ferrari currently does with race starts — they would not want to see any alterations,” he remarked.
“I believe half the grid was caught off guard by an anomaly in the rules for the race start in Melbourne. We are now aware of that, but due to some teams resisting change, we will just have to adapt.”
However, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur stated that he had raised concerns about the starts a year prior and was informed that it was the teams’ responsibility to design their cars in accordance with the regulations.
He mentioned that Ferrari complied with this directive in its design choices and has already made a concession to its competitors by accommodating the five-second addition.
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“I believe we have already significantly altered the starting rule with the five-second adjustment,” Vasseur stated.
“One year ago, I approached the FIA and raised my concerns about the starting procedure, indicating that it would be challenging. The response was clear that we must design the car to comply with the regulations rather than modify the regulations to suit the car.
“We designed the car to align with the regulations; the five-second change and the blue light situation did not benefit us at all, but I think at some point, enough is enough.”
When asked if that indicated it was “case closed” for Ferrari regarding further rule changes to the start procedure, Vasseur replied: “For me, yes.”
Source: espn.com
