Ferrari would be "very surprised" if Red Bull introduced lightweight F1 chassis

Talk in the Spa paddock over the Belgian Grand Prix suggested Red Bull is looking to introduce an updated chassis in the near future to curb the car weight issue it has faced since the start of the year.

Red Bull F1 boss Christian Horner said after the race at Spa that “these chassis will run for the next few races” and confirmed the chassis that raced in Belgium were identical to those used in Hungary, while staying coy on any possible move to introduce a lighter chassis before the end of the season.

Discussing the possibility, Ferrari team principal Binotto admitted it would be a surprise to see Red Bull do so given the constraints of the budget cap, the enforcement of which he said was “always a concern”.

“We’ve now got the technical, sporting and as well the financial regulations, which can make a difference between teams in the way they are interpreting and executing it,” Binotto said.

“We know that we need to have a very strong FIA to have it properly focusing, otherwise the regulations themselves will not be fair and equitable.

“Now I cannot judge on the Red Bull for the lightweight [chassis], because as you said, maybe not. As Ferrari, we will never be capable of introducing a lightweight chassis or a different strategy through a season, simply for budget cap.

“I will be very surprised if other teams would be capable of doing it.”

Carlos Sainz, Ferrari F1-75, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB18, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Binotto has previously highlighted his concerns about how the FIA will be able to police the budget cap rules, believing F1’s governing body will need to expand its team that is dedicated to their enforcement. 

Binotto said after the race at Spa that there was “a big question mark” about the financial regulations because they are “very green at the moment.”

“The number of people monitoring it in the FIA is very little, so it has to improve for the future,” Binotto said.

“Because it will be really bad if a championship somehow is dictated by a financial regulations and not technical and sporting.”