Ferrari already working on a ‘substantial’ response to expected FIA ruling on Mercedes engine trick

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Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is furious about the accusations concerning his team’s new engine for F1’s 2026 regulations, but it continues to cause distress over at Ferrari.

Concerns are rife amongst the paddock ahead of the 2026 F1 season that Mercedes found a loophole in the new engine rules. Formula 1 has introduced the biggest regulatory overhaul in history for the 2026 term, with the new power unit rules at the very heart of the changes.

F1 has removed the expensive MGU-H and moved to advanced sustainable fuels. F1 has also increased the electrical share of the power from the previous 20/80 split in favour of the ICE to almost 50/50. A direct 50/50 power split was the initial goal with the 2026 F1 regulations.

Also, the internal combustion engine (ICE) has to work at a compression rate of 16:1, rather than 18:1 as it did in 2025. But Ferrari think Mercedes found a loophole in F1’s 2026 engine rules and can hit a rate of 18:1 during operation, as the FIA only tests in ambient conditions.

Ferrari have not won the F1 drivers’ title since 2007. Will 2026 end their droughts?

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Ferrari are designing a new engine for 2027 as they expect the FIA will allow Mercedes’ trick

Mercedes team principal Wolff has hit out at the accusations that his squad are not working in line with the 2026 F1 regulations. Wolff has told Mercedes’ F1 rivals to “just get your s— together” and he suggests that Ferrari, Honda and Audi may just be trying to “find excuses”.

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

But, according to Leo Turrini, Ferrari are angry as they expect the FIA will declare the engine trick that Mercedes and potentially also Red Bull have used is ‘legal in all respects’. So, plans are already in place in Maranello for the Scuderia to now mimic the engine trick themselves.

Enrico Gualtieri, the technical director of Ferrari’s engine division, has ‘given the green light’ for their engineers to develop ‘substantial modifications’ for their power unit, with the goal of creating a dynamic compression ratio. But any changes are unlikely to be raced this season.

Ferrari will bring the production of their engine connecting rod back in-house, as they need a new design with a high enough thermal expansion coefficient that it can then ‘stretch’ and reverse the loss of compression due to thermal expansion inside their engine for likely 2027.

Mercedes’ 2026 F1 engine loophole could be worth up to four tenths of a second per lap

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Turrini does not expect Ferrari will have a new engine ready to test on their dyno benches in Maranello before the summer of 2026 at the earliest, should the FIA permit Mercedes’ trick. It will also take Ferrari time to refine their concept before it is ready to be run on a live track.

Ferrari are unhappy that Mercedes have read the wording of the 2026 F1 engine regulations in such a way that allows their rate of compression to rise in excess of 16:1 during operation as it could be worth as much as four-tenths of a second a lap, depending on the track layout.

The Scuderia are not alone, either, as it is now said that even Red Bull have joined Ferrari in asking the FIA for clarification on Mercedes’ engine trick. If the trick is deemed illegal, James Key has said Audi will “never accept” Mercedes using an illegal F1 engine all season in 2026.