Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has responded to comments from his Mercedes counterpart, Toto Wolff, regarding Ferrari’s development budget. Vasseur stated he does not appreciate others speaking about his team’s budget without having any knowledge of the situation.
The comments follow recent remarks from Wolff, who suggested Mercedes lacks the financial capacity to match the current upgrade pace of rivals like Ferrari and McLaren. Wolff questioned whether other teams could sustain their rate of development until the end of the season.
He suggested some teams might have a different strategy, spending more in the first half of the year. This was not the first time Wolff has publicly questioned Ferrari’s spending under the 2026 budget cap, which is set at $215 million.
After the Austrian Grand Prix earlier this season, Wolff described Ferrari’s development rate as seemingly “limitless”. He suggested the Italian team must be “running out of cost cap soon” because Mercedes could not afford to introduce parts at a similar rate.
Vasseur addressed these earlier statements, calling them “quite ironic” coming from Mercedes. He pointed to a perceived double standard in how upgrades are viewed among the top teams in the paddock.
‘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.’
Vasseur believes that suggesting Ferrari may overshoot the cost cap is an insinuation of cheating. He clarified that Ferrari has not introduced more parts than other top teams and that their strategy is to bring performance to the car early.
He explained that a performance gain implemented earlier in the season is more valuable as it applies across more races. Vasseur also noted that the two team principals, who are known to be friends, have not discussed the matter directly.
Vasseur affirmed that Ferrari has a buffer within its budget. He stated the team will continue to develop its car with the same intensity until the final race of the season.
