Ferrari boss snaps back at George Russell's 'selfish' accusation as F1 rule change blocked

Frederic Vasseur insists Ferrari won't vote for any more changes to the start procedure in Formula 1 this season. That's despite the Italian team being indirectly branded "selfish" by George Russell, who suggested they are the ones dragging their feet over proposed tweaks to the rules.

Race starts have been a focus since pre-season testing, when it became clear that the new engines being used to power F1 cars this season generally require more time to be revved up.

That led to teams agreeing to implement a longer starting procedure, using blue warning lights ahead of the usual five red lights which, when extinguished, signal the start of a race.

But many feel the situation remains far from perfect, amid some safety concerns at race starts. Every start so far in 2026 has seen some cars get off the line much quicker than others, forcing some of the faster-launching cars have to take avoiding action - most dramatically in the Melbourne season-opener when Franco Colapinto had to produce some jaw-dropping reflexes to avoid smashing into the back of Liam Lawson.

The one team which has been invariably good at a quick launch is Ferrari. And that has led to suggestions that they are the ones blocking any further regulations changes related to the start procedure. Mercedes racer Russell, without directly naming Ferrari, branded them "selfish" in Shanghai last weekend, suggesting they are prioritising self-interest.

Vasseur has now explained why his outfit does not wish to vote for further revisions to the regulations.

The Ferrari team principal said: "I think that we already massively changed the rules of the start with the five-second sequence. One year ago, I went to the FIA, raised my hand on the starting procedure. I said, 'Guys, it will be difficult'.

"The reply was clear: that you have to design the car to fit with the regulations, not change the regulations to fit with the car. We designed the car to fit the regulations. The change with the five-second blue light sequence didn't help us at all.

But at some stage, enough is enough."

Ferrari's quick getaways have proven to be a powerful weapon, with both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton using them to propel themselves immediately into a battle for the lead of a race despite having been out-qualified by the Mercedes cars in both the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix.

The Silver Arrows do, however, still have the upper hand in general race pace, thanks in no small part to their powerful engines.

Both Russell and Kimi Antonelli finished about of the red cars at the end of both Grands Prix, though Leclerc and Hamilton do at least have a podium finish each to show for their and Ferrari's efforts so far.