With the arrival of new builders like Audi – which will supply one of the Cavallino client stables – and the return of Honda at the decision-making table, Ferrari knows it has to move quickly, in order not to lose the political power that for several years has already begun to extend towards Red Bull and Mercedes also thanks to the particular political skills of the two team principals, Wolff and Horner. The prestigious Italian brand, protected in Formula 1 by the veto right it has enjoyed since the 80s, expressed a categorical "no" to the request of Red Bull Powertrains, the Red Bull motor division, to take advantage of the privileges reserved for new Builders which will come from 2026.
It is specifically about concessions for tests and bench tests. According to Ferrari, this privilege should only belong to new manufacturers, such as Audi, not to Red Bull which would have continued to make use of the legacy left by Honda after its farewell to the Circus.
Ferrari hard-fisted
Ferrari against everyone. This is the scenario that the Maranello team and its management are once again facing. Not having signed the minutes of the meeting of the engineers in November, Ferrari was excluded from the meeting to define the rules of the 2026 power units last December 15th. Despite having the possibility of opposing it with the right of veto, Ferrari would have chosen the path of dialogue, rather than that of coercion.
A rift between the team and Formula 1 would damage the image of the series and the team itself, which would like to obtain this victory thanks to its political value and not "at the table" thanks to a trick such as the right of veto. A right that made it different from other builders, rightfully due to it given the solid presence – even in not exactly prosperous periods – in front of other builders who entered and left the Circus, often used as a launching pad for marketing manoeuvres.
Eyes on the new faces
Ferrari is going through a profound revolution, or rather restoration given the particular adversities it has faced in the last three years in which it has had to catch up on the other two top teams: Red Bull and Mercedes. The second place in both classifications achieved this season was not a satisfactory result for the management which decided to entrust itself to a new team principal. Frederic Vasseur, he is the man on whom, starting from 9 January, the eyes of the whole world will be fixed and this tug of war between Ferrari and Formula 1 will be the first real difficulty he will come up against, and which will serve to make the Red, like the improvements in reliability and strategies. Because politics and the track are two worlds that, like it or not, are intertwined.
Source: Motorsport.com
