Just in:Fred Vasseur claims ‘Ferrari would have won F1 title’ if FIA had…. See details
Fred Vasseur claims ‘Ferrari would have won F1 title’ if FIA had…. See details
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has suggested that his team might have secured the Formula One constructors’ championship if the sport’s governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), had acted sooner to address a controversial technical feature used by rivals McLaren.
Ferrari have been chasing their first Formula One championship since Ferrari last won the constructors’ title in 2008. In Formula One, the difference between victory and defeat is often extremely small, with championships sometimes decided by only a few points. According to Vasseur, this narrow margin may have played a role in Ferrari missing out on the title in the 2024 season.
Speaking in an interview with L’Equipe ahead of the 2026 Formula One season, Vasseur reflected on Ferrari’s recent campaigns and pointed to a controversial aerodynamic feature used by McLaren during 2024. The device, commonly referred to as the “mini-DRS,” generated significant debate among teams because of the way it appeared to exploit the flexibility rules governing rear wings.
During the 2024 season, Ferrari mounted a strong challenge for the constructors’ championship. The team’s drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr., consistently scored points throughout the year and kept the championship battle close until the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. Ultimately, Ferrari finished second in the standings, just 14 points behind McLaren.
Vasseur emphasized how close the championship fight had been, noting that the outcome was decided only at the final race. Because the margin was so small, he believes that earlier intervention by the FIA regarding McLaren’s rear-wing design could have changed the result.
The controversy centered on the way McLaren’s rear wing behaved at high speed. Rival teams argued that the component flexed in a manner that created a larger gap between the wing elements, effectively reducing drag and increasing straight-line speed. This phenomenon was dubbed “mini-DRS” because it appeared to produce a similar effect to Formula One’s Drag Reduction System, which is normally only activated in designated zones during a race.
Although McLaren’s design initially passed the FIA’s official static load tests—which are used to measure how much a wing can bend under pressure—several teams questioned whether the tests accurately represented the aerodynamic forces experienced on track. As the debate intensified, pressure grew on the FIA to take action or clarify the regulations governing rear-wing flexibility.
Eventually, before the United States Grand Prix in 2024, the FIA issued a notice to all ten Formula One teams expressing concerns about the behavior of flexible rear wings. The governing body stated that it was uncomfortable with designs that allowed the slot gap—the distance between the rear wing’s main plane and its flap—to increase significantly at high speed.
Although the FIA did not formally ban McLaren’s rear wing at that time, the organization concluded that the limits of flexibility had been pushed too far. In response, McLaren agreed to modify the component.
Further steps were taken before the 2025 season began. The FIA revised the wording of the aerodynamic regulations to remove any ambiguity surrounding the permitted movement of rear-wing elements. These updates were designed to prevent teams from exploiting similar loopholes in the future.
Looking ahead to the 2026 campaign, Vasseur acknowledged that Ferrari’s new car, the SF-26, represents another opportunity for the team to compete for the title. However, he also emphasized that every team on the grid will be aiming for the same goal.
For Ferrari, the memory of how close they came in 2024 still lingers. Vasseur’s comments suggest that he believes earlier regulatory intervention might have altered the outcome of that championship battle, potentially ending the Italian team’s long wait for another Formula One title.
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