Ferrari reveal stance on F1 intervention to reel in dominant Red Bull
Sergio Perez in action for Red Bull at the Monaco Grand Prix. Monte Carlo, May 2023.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur is firmly against the idea of Formula 1 and/or the FIA stepping in to clip the wings of Red Bull.
Currently Red Bull are schooling the field in Formula 1, having taken six wins from six to start the F1 2023 campaign.
It means that already they have over double the number of points that Aston Martin do, Red Bull’s closest rival in the Constructors’ standings, while Max Verstappen has opened up a 39-point gap over team-mate Sergio Perez at the top of the Drivers’ Championship.
In past eras of one-team dominance, the arrival of rule tweaks or a technical directive has been common, whether that be a direct or indirect effort to influence the pecking order, so Vasseur was asked by Sky F1 for his stance on the idea of F1 chiefs attempting to rein Red Bull in a little.
Vasseur made it clear though that is not a route which he wants to go down, and instead Ferrari will focus on their own developments in a bid to catch Red Bull in a pure way, with the Scuderia having introduced new Red Bull-inspired sidepods for the Spanish Grand Prix.
“I’m not a big fan at all of the balance of performance,” Vasseur affirmed.
“Red Bull did a great job and now we have to push, have to be focused on your development, on your team, on your car and to try to catch up. And everything is possible, we just have to do a good job and to continue to push.”
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Red Bull’s dominance has meant that the suggestion of an unbeaten season continues to loom, with Verstappen saying it is possible on pace alone, albeit “very unlikely” considering all that can go wrong over a campaign.
Vasseur dodged the question on whether he feels the reigning champions could pull that off, though did acknowledge that while the likes of Ferrari continue to develop their challengers, the World Championship leaders will not be going on “vacation” over the summer.
Asked how confident he is that Red Bull will not win every race, Vasseur replied: “I’m not focused on this, I’m focused on the development of what we are doing.
“But for sure in the same time that Red Bull will develop and they won’t stay at home and they won’t go on vacation in July.
“It means that for sure we have to be focused on ourselves and to do a good job and a better job than the competitors.”
Verstappen topped both Friday practice sessions, though Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso did narrow the Dutchman’s advantage to 0.170s by the end of FP2, while both Ferraris were within four-tenths of his benchmark.
