Although Ferrari does not believe that an FIA Technical Directorate would have a direct effect on its functionality in Las Vegas, its budget took a big hit.
Formula 1’s governing frame The FIA has brought a new technical directive forward of the Las Vegas Grand Prix relating to the F1 car’s skid blocks, following a report that some groups had used a trick to make the insulation around the block paintings and the protective screws amid wear wear. It added that Red Bull had alerted the FIA to this.
Additional reporting via Elizabeth Blackstock
After a strong showing at the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, Ferrari were expected to be a major threat for victory at least at the 2024 staging, though had to make do with P3 and P4 behind the dominant Mercedes team, as George Russell took victory with Lewis Hamilton making it a one-two.
However, the director of the Ferrari team, Fred Vasseur, made it clear that the technical directive enters into force and that its operation in Las Vegas has no relationship.
“It is true that the TD arrived here very past because we won it a week before qualifying,” he explained to the media, adding Planetf1. com, after the race. “It’s a bit difficult.
“But this is how it is. It is not an excuse for [the functionality in Las Vegas], they are two separate things.
“I think the challenge [in Las Vegas] has more to do with tyre management, so that has nothing to do with that.
But, while Vasseur was keeping the technical directive and Ferrari’s Las Vegas GP performance separate, that was not the case when it came to the financial element.
Formula 1 these days operates in a cost cap era, with the budget limit set at $135m for F1 2024.
Asked to clarify if he felt the technical directive had cost Ferrari some performance, Vasseur said: “In terms of budget? Yes, a lot, because we had to redo all the skids.”
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Ferrari is not the only team forced to replace the decision of the FIA, the head of the Mercedes team, Toto Wolff, confirmed that his team was also affected.
“Yeah, we had to change the way we run the floor,” Wolff confirmed.
It is a similar scenario in Alpine.
“Yeah, we’ve had to make a little change,” said team boss Oliver Oakes, “but I’ll be really honest, I don’t know the rest of it.”
Ferrari remain in the hunt with McLaren and Red Bull for the F1 2024 Constructors’ Championship title as the season reaches Qatar, the penultimate round of the campaign.
McLaren opens the way with an advantage of 24 points over Ferrari, while Red Bull is 53 points in the first position.
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