Vasseur: “These overtakings are not artificial, the DRS was”

A new F1 that causes discussion The new 2026 regulations have created a Formula 1 that is undoubtedly different from the past. The Federation must be given credit for trying to improve things during the April break, looking for points of convergence between teams and engineers to improve what we have seen so far. Clearly it was impossible to reverse things, given the political interests of individuals, but the next qualifying and races will give an indication whether these changes were “a tickle” – as evoked by Max Verstappen – or an encouraging step in the right direction. Vasseur: “These are not artificial overtaking” In the FIA press conference, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur explained his point of view on the matter: “I’m not so strict about the first 3 races. Honestly we saw good races, with a lot of overtaking. You can say that maybe you get the feeling that they are a bit artificial, but for me they are much less so than DRS. DRS was simply about pressing a button, whereas now it’s about energy management, an aspect that it depends on the driver or the team. And it’s not artificial at all.” The French manager continued: “I would say that we definitely have to fine-tune the system and adapt. Thanks to the FIA we have had the opportunity to discuss after each event to try to improve the system. It is not easy to do this during the season. As for the future we have several options on the table and soon it will be time to discuss them. But from the beginning we had one parameter in mind: reducing the exorbitant engine budget. And this applies to both manufacturers and customers. Now we will be able to discuss all the opportunities and we will soon do so”, he concluded Vasseur.

Automobile Magazine – F1 English News
2026-05-02 19:30:00