Audi chief states ‘we’d never accept’ the FIA’s proposed response to Mercedes’ F1 engine loophole

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Audi will make their F1 debut in 2026 but they might already be at a disadvantage, having not used the loophole in the engine rules that Mercedes and Red Bull have.

The iconic German brand will hit the Formula 1 grid for the first time this season, after taking over Sauber to join the field as a factory team. Unlike fellow debutants Cadillac, who will buy Ferrari engines, Audi have built their own power unit for the start of the 2026 F1 regulations.

F1 has overhauled the rulebook for the 2026 season, with the new engine rules at the heart of the regulations. Formula 1 has increased the electrical share of power from the previous 20/80 split favouring the ICE to 50/50, removed the MGU-H and moved to sustainable fuels.

Audi have been working on their first F1 engine at the brand’s factory in Neuburg since 2022. Yet the iconic four rings have joined forces with fellow engine providers Ferrari and Honda to oppose fears that Mercedes and Red Bull have found a loophole in the 2026 F1 engine rules.

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Audi will ‘never accept’ F1 letting Mercedes and Red Bull exploit the 2026 engine rules all season

Mercedes and Red Bull are feared to have found a way to increase the rate of combustion in their ICEs from the 16:1 limit to 18:1 during operation. Red Bull are adamant that their 2026 engine is legal, as the rules state that the FIA will only test the rate in ambient temperatures.

READ MORE: Everything to know about the 2026 F1 engine, chassis and aero regulations

The loophole in the 2026 engine regulations could be worth three to four tenths of a second a lap, depending on how power sensitive the track is. So, the F1 manufacturers will speak to the FIA about potential solutions before the official pre-season shakedown test in Barcelona.

Audi technical director James Key believes it is vital that the FIA bans any ways to exploit the engine compression rules, as it would not “make sense” to let some teams use the loophole if others cannot. It would take several months for the other brands to develop a new engine.

Key has told Motorsport.com: “We have to, as we do, trust the FIA with making the right decisions here. It’s new regs. You’ve got to have a level playing field. If someone came up with a clever diffuser and you said it’s not the right thing to do, no one else can have it, but you can have it for the rest of the year? It doesn’t make sense. We’d never accept that.”

It is too late for the FIA to force Mercedes and Red Bull to build new engines before the 2026 season

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According to The Race, there are concerns that engine manufacturers not already using the loophole in the 2026 F1 regulations to increase their rate of compression from 16:1 to 18:1 during operation may not be able to introduce a new power unit prior to the 2027 season.

It is also too late for the FIA to force Mercedes and Red Bull to design new engines that will not exceed the 16:1 compression rate limit during operation, with the 2026 season starting on March 8. The engines that every team currently have will be what they race in Australia.

So, as Key alludes to, the FIA could potentially agree to allow Mercedes and Red Bull to keep their engines that achieve an 18:1 combustion rate during operation in the 2026 season and then run new units in 2027. But letting them use the engines risks creating a two-tiered grid.