Ferrari boss addresses discussions of F1 Commission and questions Renault

Scuderia Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has expressed doubts about the claims that Renault’s Formula 1 power unit is significantly lacking in performance compared to rival suppliers, echoing Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s opposition regarding the idea of introducing the Balance of Performance concept.

During the F1 Commission meeting at the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, the issue of parity between power unit manufacturers was once again raised, and there were suggestions that the Renault unit in the Alpine car could be as much as 30bhp down compared to the Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull Powertrains/Honda offerings.

Since the beginning of the 2022 Formula 1 season, power unit performance development has been gradually frozen, and it will remain locked in until the end of the 2025 championship. However, an agreement was reached that if one supplier’s performance falls 3% below the rest, remedies would be considered for discussion. Mercedes, through the words of Toto Wolff, has expressed his clear opposition to Balance of Performance (BoP) being used in Formula 1 and Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur shares the same view.

Ferrari against BoP

“It is true that when we decided to freeze the engine, we would consider that in exceptional circumstances, we could try to find a way to support the guys that would be completely out of the range [of the other manufacturers,” the French manager explained when asked on this topic – “[But] I am not sure that Renault is so far away that we don’t have the same numbers. As for Renault, it is the first time my engineers are pessimistic compared to the other [suppliers]. If we have to do something, it can’t be a [restriction] of fuel flow. We have the same approach with the wind-tunnel allocation that the guy is P10 has more time in the wind-tunnel. It is not that he has 10 kilos less [of weight.]” – he added.

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“You should allow the team and the PU manufacturer to develop. You don’t give them an advantage – it would be the start of Balance of Performance.” – Scuderia Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur concluded.