Vasseur rejects Wolff’s Ferrari upgrade implication
Fred Vasseur has pushed back sharply against Toto Wolff after the Mercedes team principal questioned how Ferrari has been able to sustain its aggressive Formula 1 upgrade programme under the cost cap.
Ferrari introduced its first major package of the season at the Miami Grand Prix, followed by another in Barcelona. Across the campaign so far, the Scuderia has declared 32 different upgrades in the official FIA submissions. Mercedes, by contrast, has listed 17, with its major update arriving in Canada and another not expected before the summer break.
Wolff said Mercedes was surprised by the volume of Ferrari’s development, arguing that the team should eventually be constrained by cost cap limits. His remarks add to a wider debate around Ferrari’s development rate, with similar scrutiny explored in our report on how Marko questioned Ferrari’s relentless upgrade push under the F1 cost cap.
“We’re a little bit surprised that Ferrari can throw these huge updates at the car in the way they do,” Wolff said. “In my opinion, they need to be running out of money soon, cost cap money, because we can’t do that.”
Vasseur interpreted Wolff’s comments as more than simple competitive frustration. Asked whether he felt Wolff was effectively suggesting Ferrari had overshot the cost cap, Vasseur answered that such a view was heading in that direction.
“I found it quite ironic coming from Toto and Mercedes,” Vasseur told media. “When Red Bull is developing or Mercedes is developing, they are geniuses, but when we are developing, we are cheating.”
The Ferrari team principal also rejected the idea that the Scuderia had brought more parts than its rivals, saying the situation was being exaggerated. His central argument was that FIA upgrade submissions list declared changes, but do not necessarily reflect the scale or cost of a completely new package.
2026 rules shape development race
The source of tension is partly tied to the 2026 regulations, which remain immature and therefore leave greater scope for significant performance gains through development. Vasseur argued that finding lap time early is more valuable than waiting until the final races.
“It is better to have a couple of tenths for five races, than just a couple of tenths for the last two,” he said.
He added that some Ferrari entries described as upgrades were simply modifications to existing components. For Vasseur, the issue is not Ferrari’s spending, but the way declared changes can be interpreted from the outside.
“Sometimes you can have the feeling that we are bringing a big upgrade, but it is just the modification of some parts,” he said. “Honestly, it’s sometimes starting to be taken out of proportion.”
Simone Scanu
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.
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