In a recent interview with L’Équipe, given shortly before the controversy surrounding Mercedes and Red Bull’s power units came to light — with the two manufacturers allegedly able to bypass the newly imposed 16:1 compression ratio through a technical trick — the Frenchman said: “Imagine coming up with a great idea for your front wing. You have the eyes of love and you say to yourself, ‘It’s going to pass.’

You build your car around that wing and that idea. Then, in December, the FIA guys come in and tell you: ‘No, it’s forbidden! You have forgotten Article 56.B, paragraph 3.’ Your car is garbage.”

Finally came the remark that seemed to suggest Vasseur was already aware of the situation described above: “The same goes for the engine. When you have an idea, you have to make sure that it is legal.”

Ironically, the FIA may have been the architect of the very grey area that has sparked so much discussion in recent days, having transformed Article 5.4.6 from a brief, crystal-clear rule into a far more detailed and complex clause.

In doing so, the regulation now explicitly specifies that compression-ratio checks are carried out at ambient temperature, opening the door to interpretation where none previously existed, as the old wording applied the limit regardless of whether the engine was running in hot or cold conditions.