F1 teams now want the FIA to ‘introduce limitations’ on Ferrari to prevent turbo advantage

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A report has suggested that Ferrari’s F1 rivals now want the FIA to prevent the advantage that the Scuderia are gaining from their smaller turbo following their rocket-like practice starts in pre-season testing.

After a disappointing end to the ground-effect era for Ferrari fans, hopes are high within the Prancing Horse’s beloved tifosi for the upcoming campaign.

Fred Vasseur’s job is understood to be dependent on the success of Ferrari this year, and the Italian constructor has been hard at work over the winter break to ensure that they can end their 18-year title drought.

F1 commentator David Croft likened the SF-26 to ‘a rocket launcher’ after seeing a practice start from Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain, with it understood that engineers at Maranello have developed a smaller turbo to allow for the turbo to spool up faster.

The lengthy time it takes the other engines on the grid to charge up has raised safety concerns over the start of F1 races.

Cars stalling on the grid is a genuine worry, and Helmut Marko thinks the Australian Grand Prix may need a rolling start in order for a safe start to the season.

• READ MORE: Guenther Steiner explains the ‘problem’ with backing Ferrari to win the 2026 F1 title after testing

Ferrari’s F1 rivals want the FIA to limit the advantage they’re getting from developing a smaller turbo

According to a recent report from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Ferrari’s rival engine manufacturers would like the FIA to ‘introduce limitations or modifications’ to the Italian outfit’s 2026 power unit in order to keep the playing field fair.

The report comes in the midst of Ferrari’s and the rest of the grid’s battle against Mercedes over a dispute regarding the Silver Arrows’ compression ratio.

Ferrari were the first team to bring attention to the matter, and have been hot on the FIA’s collar for them to make a decision before the 2026 power units are homologated at the start of March.

Mercedes star George Russell was the first driver to theorise on Ferrari’s impressive practice starts, which indicates that the German constructor may be leading the charge against them in the commission meetings.

Obviously, Ferrari disagree that action needs to be taken against them, largely due to the fact that no regulations have been twisted to cater for their smaller turbo unit.

There are some worries within the Ferrari garages about a potential performance deficit to having a smaller turbo, but gaining multiple track positions at the start of a race could potentially be a bigger advantage for them.

• READ MORE: Ruth Buscombe says Ferrari ‘always’ turn their engine up in testing after rapid Charles Leclerc laps

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Mercedes remain the favourites despite Ferrari’s impressive Bahrain test

Despite Charles Leclerc voicing his satisfaction with Ferrari’s Bahrain test programme, Mercedes still look like they will be the team to beat once the grid arrives in Melbourne for the inaugural race weekend of the season.

Leclerc set the fastest time of pre-season with his effort on the final day of the proceedings in Bahrain, with Kimi Antonelli ending the two weeks of testing with the second-best lap.

‘Everyone’ inside the F1 paddock believes Mercedes are still the benchmark, with the majority of figures in agreement that it is now Russell’s time to shine as he continues to hunt a maiden world title in the category.

It should be a fascinating season of racing if Mercedes and Ferrari are, in fact, the leading teams in contention for the title.