Ferrari has been among the most active teams in the early development race, rolling out regular updates as it attempts to cut into Mercedes’ advantage.
The Scuderia sits second in the constructors’ championship after eight races, with Lewis Hamilton’s Barcelona victory the only grand prix win this year not taken by Mercedes.
Wolff questioned Ferrari’s development rate after the Austrian Grand Prix, saying Mercedes was surprised by the scale of updates being added to its rival’s car and suggesting the team would eventually be squeezed by the cost cap.
Vasseur was visibly unimpressed when asked about those comments at Silverstone, arguing Ferrari had done nothing different to its rivals.
“I find it quite ironic coming from Toto and Mercedes,” Vasseur said.
“When Red Bull is developing, or when Mercedes is developing, they are a genius – when we are developing, we are cheating.
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“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!”
Asked whether he believed Wolff was directly suggesting Ferrari had breached Formula 1’s cost cap, Vasseur said the implication was clear enough.
“If you think that we overshoot the cost cap, for me it’s going into this direction.”
Formula 1’s cost cap has been raised to $215 million for 2026 due to the introduction of the new chassis regulations, forcing teams to balance development spending across a longer campaign.
Ferrari has continued to bring new parts during the early rounds of the season, including a major aerodynamic package in Barcelona and further updates across Monaco, Austria and Silverstone.
Mercedes has been less aggressive since its most recent major update in Canada, although it remains the benchmark team as Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull attempt to reduce its advantage.
Vasseur was asked why he believed Wolff had singled Ferrari out despite other teams also pushing development during the early part of the year.
“If you have to ask something to Toto, go to Toto and ask him why he spoke about me. Honestly, I have no clue.”
The Ferrari team principal, who is known to have a strong personal relationship with Wolff, admitted he had not sought out his Mercedes counterpart since the comments were made.
“I think it was better to avoid to speak,” Vasseur said.
Vasseur defended Ferrari’s approach, explaining the team had deliberately chosen to bring performance to the car early rather than hold upgrades back for later in the season.
“We are all in the same boat that if we can bring something at the beginning, we do it,” he said.
“It’s better to have a couple of tenths for five races than just a couple of tenths for the last two.
“But sometimes it’s difficult to find performance, sometimes you can have the feeling that we are bringing a big upgrade, but it is just the modification of some parts and nothing else.”
Ferrari will start the British Grand Prix Sprint from pole, with Hamilton pipping Kimi Antonelli but just 0.011s, while Leclerc will start from fourth.
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