Fred Vasseur says Toto Wolff comments about Ferrari upgrade strategy "a bit puerile"

Ferrari have been more aggressive with the upgrades for their SF-26, bringing new parts more frequently, while Mercedes have only brought one major package for their W17 so far.

Wolff took a swipe at Ferrari, wondering how they manage the cost cap with such a car development plan, also pointing out that the budget will be exhausted before the end of the season.

Vasseur, on the other hand, was not happy with the comments from his "friend," and when asked about that in Silverstone, he said: "I found it quite ironic coming from Toto and Mercedes.

"But when Red Bull is developing or when Mercedes is developing, they are geniuses; when we are developing, we are cheating! I think you have to calm down with this. We didn't bring more parts than Red Bull or another one.

"I don't know if it was a joke," the Frenchman added, and when asked why he felt Wolff was accusing Ferrari of cheating, he replied: "If you think that we overshoot the cost cap, for me, it's going into this direction. I think it was better to avoid to speak."

Vasseur questioned "why he [Wolff] spoke about me" and slammed his statement as "a bit puerile."

He then explained: "I think we are all in the same boat. If we can bring something at the beginning, we do it. It's better to have a couple of tenths for five races than just for the last two.

"Sometimes it's difficult to find performance, sometimes a bit less. Sometimes you can have the feeling we are bringing a big upgrade, but it is just the modification of some parts," Vasseur concluded.

Ferrari have been putting pressure on Mercedes occasionaly. Lewis Hamilton won the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix and took pole for the British Grand Prix Sprint Race on Friday in Silverstone.