Ferrari Team Boss Finds Current Regulations ‘Complicated’

The recent Formula 1 Grand Prix of China, truly speaking, was a mixed bag sort of result for the team running blazing Scarlet Red cars. While on the one hand both Ferrari drivers finished inside the top five of the twenty on the grid, with Leclerc fetching a fourth and Sainz gathering a fifth, it wasn’t the most productive result in the end.   

That’s specifically speaking from the point of view of, at least, one Ferrari car frequenting the podium in all the races held up to that point; prior to the Shanghai-bound contest, Sainz had finished on the podium in every single race he took part in, winning the race in Australia. 

However, China fetched Ferrari a podium-less run. But there was more drama right at the start of the race weekend as the qualifying contest sprung up. 

During the early stages of qualifying, Carlos Sainz went into a sudden spin, going beyond the Astro turf of a challenging turn, thereby not only hampering what could’ve been a strong session for himself but also bringing about a red flag. 

Although, it is what followed thereafter that surprised many, especially the Aston Martin team. Not too long after prompting the red flagging of the session that Sainz was allowed to rejoin the grid and continue his qualifying  battle. 

While Aston Martin were clearly unimpressed with the move lodging a protest with the FIA stewards, on their part, the stewards dismissed the protest citing the crucial fact that the Ferrari was able to reach the pits on its own sans assistance and hence, it wasn’t a violation of Article 39.6.  

Yet, despite the obvious clarity on the matter, the Carlos Sainz decision prompted a polarising reaction in the aftermath, which has perhaps prompted the current Ferrari team principal to make what could be called canny observations on the whole incident. So the question is – what did the experienced Frenchman had to say in the wake of that scenario?  Alluding to the rather complicated nature of the sport’s regulations, here is what Fred Vasseur had to say on the matter:

“I don’t know if it’s clear, but for sure we need to have some understanding of what has happened, as yesterday, we asked if we can restart, he [the race director] said yes, and it was end of the story. We have to define exactly the situation.”

Having said that, the big key question that pops up in all of this is whether the sport’s regulations have, indeed, become complicated and perhaps more cumbersome to understand with the passage of time? 

Adding further to his observation of the scenario, the big man from the Ferrari stable happened to highlight perhaps exactly this very view. 

“But for sure, what is true is that the regulation is more and more complicated. When I started the job, the sporting regulation was 20 pages, today, it’s 75.”

Having said that, Ferrari would want to take the positives and move with those forwards. The next destination is Miami, which is the first of the two other Grands Prix to take place in the American heartland. But it’s here where Red Bull are the strongest; the Maranello-based team not so much!