Vasseur slams Wolff for speaking about Ferrari budget 'without any clue'
18:33, 04 Sep
0 Comments
Kieran is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs and feature content across the F1 calendar. An NQJ-qualified journalist with more than a decade of experience, he has previously written for publications including MailOnline, the Manchester Evening News and the Eastern Daily Press.
Frederic Vasseur has hit back at Toto Wolff after the Mercedes team principal suggested his team lacks the financial firepower to keep pace with Ferrari and McLaren’s recent upgrades.
After winning the opening six races of the season, Mercedes have won just two out of their last six - the same amount as both Ferrari and McLaren.
Speaking after the Dutch Grand Prix, where Lando Norris overtook Kimi Antonelli on the way to his second successive victory, Wolff said Mercedes "haven't got the money to put developments on the car". He added: "I said before that we are trying to evenly split that through the season based on our calculations of when we can bring the biggest updates and optimising the championship points. But we just can't do what we can't do.
When asked why McLaren and Ferrari have been able to bring upgrades, Wolff added: "Well, you will see towards the end of the season whether they are going to be able to deploy as much stuff onto the car as they do now. Someone might have a different strategy in spending more at the beginning and the middle of the year than towards the end."
Vasseur does not appreciate comments by Wolff
ADVERTISEMENT
Ferrari team principal Vasseur fired back at Wolff during Friday's press conference, insisting the Mercedes boss does not have "any clue" about the Italian outfit's budgets.
When asked about Wolff's comments, Vasseur said: "Yes, I don't want to make any comments on the budget gap of Toto. I don't appreciate when someone is speaking about my budget without any clue.
He added: "But what I know is that we will continue to develop until the last race with the same pay. We'll have a buffer with the cost cut."
Despite Wolff's comments, Mercedes walked away from FP2 for the Italian Grand Prix with the quickest time. George Russell set the pace with a 1:22.559, just over a tenth of a second quicker than Charles Leclerc who was quickest in FP1. Antonelli finished FP2 in third ahead of Norris, Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri.
Read also
ADVERTISEMENT
Don’t miss GPblog in Google
Mark us as a preferred source and our articles will appear more often at the top of Top Stories.
Add as a preferred / source on GoogleRead more about:
latest news
Italian Grand Prix
Overview
Friday 04.09.26
Practice 1
10:30 AM
Practice 2
02:00 PM
Saturday 05.09.26
Practice 3
10:30 AM
Qualification
02:00 PM
Sunday 06.09.26
Race
01:00 PM
Friday 04.09.26
Practice 1
Fri 10:30 AM
Practice 2
Fri 02:00 PM
Saturday 05.09.26
Practice 3
Sat 10:30 AM
Qualification
Sat 02:00 PM
Sunday 06.09.26
Race
Sun 01:00 PM
Times are in your local timezone
Rumors
Popular on GPBlog
1
Monaco GP result overturned again as Red Bull and McLaren win appeal
1337 times read
2
Max Verstappen receives Red Bull upgrade boost at Italian Grand Prix
1123 times read
3
Briatore makes explosive McLaren allegations after FIA Monaco verdict
829 times read
4
F1 Full Results | Ferrari take 1-2 in Monza FP1
662 times read
F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 242 | |
2 | MercedesMER | 183 | |
3 | FerrariFER | 183 | |
4 | McLarenMCL | 159 | |
5 | FerrariFER | 155 | |
6 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 112 | |
7 | McLarenMCL | 106 | |
8 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 71 | |
9 | Racing BullsRCB | 51 | |
10 | AlpineALP | 35 |
Loading
