Ferrari fears loss of identity after new rules: "There is less freedom"

817c712a7b85e9aff2f1264fedce802ec0866a39

17:57, 30 Jan 2022

With the new rules that take effect in Formula 1 from this year, Laurent Mekies believes the sport runs the risk that all cars will look more or less the same from 2023 onwards. The Ferrari sporting director fears that this will be a consequence of the lower degree of freedom that teams have in designing their cars.

The updated regulations are designed, among other things, to close loopholes and prevent the abuse of grey areas. This is part of the plan to make Formula 1 more competitive on the track.

Ferrari fear loss of identity

Mekies fears, however, that the restrictions imposed will be so severe that all teams will end up driving identical cars. "There is less freedom," said the Frenchman according to F1i.com. He did acknowledge that everyone is excited about the upcoming changes because it will be completely different from previous years.

"But how different will the cars be from each other? We will see," he added. According to Mekies, there may still be enough difference visible the first time, but he fears that these differences will disappear in the long run and therefore calls on the sport to guard against this.

Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	156
2	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	115
3	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	106
4	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	75
5	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	73
6	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	70
7	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	55
8	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	37
9	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	32
10	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	28
11	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	19
12	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	18
13	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	14
14	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	6
15	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	5
16	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	3
17	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	2
18	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	1
19	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	0
20	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
21	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0
22	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0

Ferrari fears loss of identity after new rules: "There is less freedom"

Ferrari fear loss of identity

Don’t miss GPblog in Google

IndyCar trophy Veekay has an unusual place: "I use it as a side table"

Webber hopes for changes: this is what he would like to see in F1

From Raikkonen to Hamilton’s side: The rise of Ferrari’s ‘Italian Bono’

MotoGP Friday Practice Results: Ogura goes top as Marquez crashes again

Marc Marquez crashes twice during Friday practice in Brno

'Red Bull wants to buy out Verstappen's contract clause for millions'

'Ducati and Marc Marquez to confirm MotoGP future with new deal'

'Vintage' Hamilton endorsed as genuine title contender: 'Never write the seven-time champ off'

MotoGP secures major 2027 breakthrough as manufacturers reach agreement

F1 champion poses key question to Hamilton critics: 'If the fire is still there, why retire?'

From Raikkonen to Hamilton’s side: The rise of Ferrari’s ‘Italian Bono’

MotoGP Friday Practice Results: Ogura goes top as Marquez crashes again

Marc Marquez crashes twice during Friday practice in Brno

'Red Bull wants to buy out Verstappen's contract clause for millions'

Popular on GPBlog

Carlos Sainz suggests radical F1 shakeup separating drivers and teams over course of the season

Ferrari told to back Hamilton over Leclerc in 2026 title fight

Sky reporter recalls wave of massive online abuse sparked by Verstappen interview

FIA keeps Red Bull Racing in suspense over controversial decision

Season

IndyCar trophy Veekay has an unusual place: "I use it as a side table"

Webber hopes for changes: this is what he would like to see in F1