Jul.4 (GMM) Frederic Vasseur has accused Toto Wolff of implying Ferrari is cheating after Mercedes questioned the Italian team’s relentless development pace under Formula 1’s budget cap.
The comments are the latest twist in an ongoing debate after Wolff recently admitted he was surprised Ferrari keeps introducing major upgrades while staying within the cost cap.
Speaking to Corriere della Sera, Vasseur said: “When they told me that, I thought it was a joke.
“I found it ironic that it came from Toto himself. I’ve never bothered to calculate Mercedes’ development or budget – the FIA will take care of that.
“I’m not wasting any energy and I’m not at all worried about Ferrari’s plans.”
When asked again about the subject at Silverstone, the Ferrari boss became more pointed.
“When Red Bull is developing or when Mercedes is developing, they are genius. When we are developing, we are cheating.
“I think you have to calm down with this. We didn’t bring more parts than Red Bull or another one.”
When asked directly if he thought Wolff was accusing Ferrari of cheating, Vasseur replied: “If you think that we overshoot the cost cap, for me it’s… going into this direction.”
The remarks also appeared to strain the pair’s long-standing friendship.
Asked whether he had spoken to Wolff since the comments, Vasseur smiled: “I think it was better to avoid to speak.”
He also refused to speculate on why Wolff had singled Ferrari out.
“If you have to ask something to Toto, go to Toto, ask him why he spoke about me. Don’t ask me the question.
“But honestly, I have no clue and I found it a bit weird.”
Vasseur also dismissed suggestions Ferrari’s long list of declared upgrades necessarily reflected a bigger development program than its rivals.
“Sometimes you can have the feeling that we are bringing a big upgrade but this is just a modification of some parts, nothing else,” he said.
He also played down reports that Ferrari’s second ADUO engine upgrade is already scheduled for Monza.
“You are more informed than me on the timing of the upgrade on the engine,” Vasseur joked.
“It’s always good to come to the press conference to get information.”
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