Vasseur warns F1 risks becoming a 'Quali Championship'

Vasseur highlights growing concern as position after qualifying increasingly determines race outcomes at Suzuka and Shanghai

Track position has become king in Formula 1's 2025 season.

What happens on Saturday is increasingly deciding Sunday's results, with Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur warning the sport could devolve into a "quali championship" as overtaking opportunities diminish.

Qualifying dominance dictating race results

The pattern became unmistakable at Suzuka where the top six qualifiers finished in exactly the same order after 53 laps of racing.

It continued a trend that began in China, with clean air proving decisive for race winners.

"For sure, qualifying is always crucial in the performance,"

Vasseur explained.

"The more you are close, the more the gap is small between cars, it's even more true because you are in the group of cars."

The Ferrari boss didn't mince words about the current situation.

"It's not that you are just one fighting with the guy in front of you. Yes, it will probably be a quali championship."

Drivers confirm the reality

McLaren's Lando Norris, who still leads the championship despite finishing second at Suzuka, echoed Vasseur's assessment.

Despite having what many consider the fastest car on the grid, he couldn't find a way past Max Verstappen.

"It was flat-out from start to finish but the pace was too similar to do anything,"

Norris said.

"Max drove a good race with no mistakes, and it ultimately came down to qualifying positions."

His teammate Oscar Piastri, who remained stuck in third throughout the race, was equally direct about the importance of qualifying.

"We got close for the overtake a few times, but track position around here is just so important. I think yesterday was the day where you effectively won the race."

A concerning trend

The difficulty in overtaking represents a worrying direction for Formula 1's current regulations.

In their final year before major changes arrive in 2026, teams have found ways to work around rules originally designed to promote overtaking.

Statistics support the concern: 2024 saw 70 fewer overtakes than the previous season despite featuring two additional races.

So far in 2025, all three pole-sitters have converted their qualifying advantage into race victories.

While Australia's season opener featured frantic action, changeable weather conditions were largely responsible for the entertainment, masking the underlying issue that has become evident in the subsequent dry races.

Ferrari's struggles continue

For Ferrari, these challenges compound their difficult start to the season.

Currently the fourth-fastest team behind McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes, they managed only a double-points finish at Suzuka after both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified in China.

Vasseur acknowledged Ferrari needs "improvement everywhere" as they try to recover ground.

"We have to improve everywhere. And at least we did a step forward compared to last week, at least on the operation side and we have to start from there."

Despite their current predicament, Vasseur remains optimistic about the long championship ahead.

"But it's not ideal as the start of the season, for sure, but it's still a long one to go - still 21 races to go."