‘Enough is enough’ – Vasseur draws line under F1 start debate

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur has had enough – and he’s not interested in rewriting history.

Amid growing noise over Formula 1’s controversial 2026 starts and suggestions that Ferrari blocked changes to the procedure, Vasseur has stepped forward to set the record straight.

His message? Don’t blame Ferrari for playing by rules it warned about long ago.

‘We designed a car fitting the regulations’

The debate has been simmering since the season opener, where erratic launches and worrying speed differentials raised fresh safety concerns.

A near-miss in Australia only intensified scrutiny, with some – including George Russell – hinting that resistance from certain teams was preventing improvements.

Ferrari, with its consistently sharp getaways, quickly became the focus of that criticism.

But Vasseur isn’t having it. According to the Frenchman, Ferrari didn’t block anything – it simply did what it was told.

“I think that we already changed massively the start rules, with the five-second story,” Vasseur said on Sunday in China.

“One year ago I went to the FIA, I raised concerns about the start. I said ‘guys, I think it will be difficult’.

“The reply was clear that you have to design the car to fit the regulations, not change the regulations to fit the car.

“We designed a car fitting with the regulations.”

In other words: Ferrari saw the issue coming, raised it, got dismissed – and then got on with the job.

Drawing a line

That context makes the current backlash all the more frustrating from Vasseur’s perspective. Especially as tweaks have already been introduced, including procedural changes aimed at helping drivers manage the new turbo-heavy power units.

But for Ferrari, those adjustments have come at a cost.

“The change of the five seconds, the blue lights, didn’t help us. But I think at one stage, enough is enough. For me, yes, [it’s a closed case].”

It’s a pointed conclusion – and one that cuts through the political noise surrounding the issue.

A debate that won’t go away

The irony, of course, is that the controversy persists precisely because the problem hasn’t disappeared. Drivers continue to wrestle with unpredictable starts, and concerns about safety remain part of the conversation.

• Read also: Russell braced for Ferrari drivers’ collision in Chinese GP

Yet Vasseur’s stance exposes a deeper tension in Formula 1: the balance between adapting regulations and rewarding teams that interpret them best. Ferrari did its homework – and now finds itself under fire for doing it too well.

Whether the FIA revisits the issue again remains to be seen. But as far as Vasseur is concerned, the time for debate has passed.

The Italian outfit followed the rulebook. Now, he’s making it clear: don’t move the goalposts after the race has already begun.

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