F1 Round Up: Key FIA meeting in SPA, Ferrari's 'many mistakes', and Wolf calls the field 'F2 cars'

F1 Commission convenes in Spa-Francorchamps

The upcoming Formula 1 Commission meeting, set to take place on July 28th at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, is poised to shape the future of the sport.

Among the critical agenda items are potential changes regarding tyres, engines, gearboxes, and the budget cap.

The tyre debate revolves around the proposed ban on tyre heating blankets, with a minimum of five teams needed to keep the current tyre generation.

This decision will also likely determine the future tyre supplier for Formula 1. If the new tyres are implemented in 2024, or the heating blanket ban is postponed for just a year, Pirelli stands to win the bid.

If the experiment is postponed indefinitely, Bridgestone may emerge as the preferred supplier.

In terms of engine discussions, Alpine has requested support for their power partner, Renault, arguing that their power deficit has doubled within a year, despite a freeze in engine development.

Renault hopes for an opportunity to close this gap and align with the competition.

The debate over gearbox standards revolves around the existing dependency on bigger teams.

The FIA is proposing standardised gearboxes to make switching suppliers easier, a move met with resistance from the larger teams.

The issue of budget caps focuses on raising the current limit of $36 million over four years.

The proposed figures are either $50 or $80 million, with teams like Williams and Sauber needing to invest more to remain competitive.

Ferrari's 'many mistakes'

Ferrari team principal, Fred Vasseur, revealed that radio issues were behind the irritated exchanges between Charles Leclerc and his race engineer, Xavier Padros, during the Hungarian GP.

Vasseur clarified that the radio problems, including a faulty microphone, were part of several 'mistakes' that the Ferrari team made in Hungary, which they are keen to rectify.

Leclerc's concerns were about race tactics, asking to "offset in terms of strategy" compared to his teammate Carlos Sainz.

Despite the tense exchanges, Vasseur insists that Leclerc was "not emotional but worried about the pace."

Vasseur acknowledged that the team must avoid similar mistakes in the future, stressing the importance of analysing the entire weekend to make reliable improvements.

'Formula 2 cars'

Toto Wolff, Mercedes' motorsport boss, jokingly commented that Red Bull's RB19 is making the rest of the field appear like "F2 cars" following their victory in Hungary by a 34-second margin.

Wolff candidly admitted that while Mercedes had the second fastest car, it's irrelevant when the gap to the leader is so significant.

Lewis Hamilton managed to snatch the pole position from Max Verstappen, his first since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

However, Verstappen overtook Hamilton in the first corner, clinching his ninth win of the season by a substantial lead. Hamilton, acknowledging the team's limitations, said, "The reality is we're not fast enough."

Wolff conceded that Red Bull "just did a better job", and he believes acknowledging that fact is crucial for Mercedes' progression in the championship.