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Ferrari are among the teams that believe that a ‘ban’ could be incoming for Mercedes ahead of the first race of the season in Melbourne.
The Australian Grand Prix will give fans their first taste of where all 11 manufacturers stack up against each other after a winter of wide-sweeping changes in Formula 1.
Pre-season testing has seen F1’s new regulations face plenty of criticism from drivers and fans.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have spoken out against the new power units, while many are concerned about whether race starts are going to be safe this year.
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This is giving the FIA plenty to think about ahead of the first race, and the teams are all set to meet in Bahrain next week to discuss the current rules.
Ferrari have avoided much of the controversy which is surrounding Mercedes’ power unit and the compression ratio they’ve reportedly been able to achieve.
The Mercedes engine is going to be under the spotlight over the coming weeks, and Toto Wolff won’t be happy with the outcome that Ferrari are reportedly expecting from the upcoming meeting.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 Team from team principal to lineage
Ferrari claim Formula 1 will ‘ban’ Mercedes’ compression ratio trick before the Australian Grand Prix
A report from the Swiss outlet Blick has shared more information about what’s happening behind the scenes in Formula 1 after the first three days of testing in Bahrain.
The story claims that Formula One Management will meet on Wednesday, with McLaren ‘pushing for three new rule changes’.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella is particularly concerned about race starts, with the turbo lag created by the new power units putting drivers near the back of the grid at risk of not being able to start correctly when the red lights go out.
Ferrari raised issues about how race starts would work last year, but no rule change was implemented, and the Scuderia have now deliberately designed their power unit to negate this problem.
On top of this, Stella believes overtaking will become more difficult as cars will be running at nearly identical speeds down the straights due to the way that battery power is expected to be deployed.
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Blick reports that Ferrari, Honda and Audi are ‘furious’ with Mercedes over the way they’ve interpreted the power unit rules.
It’s been suggested that Ferrari ‘claim the FIA will ban the increased compression ratio’ for all the Mercedes-powered teams before the Australian Grand Prix.
Where this would leave Mercedes, McLaren, Alpine and Williams is yet to be seen, as the likelihood of Mercedes being able to build modified PUs before the race in Melbourne seems incredibly unlikely.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Scuderia Ferrari from team principal to factory
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur ‘very positive’ that no one is talking about them during F1 testing
The report from Blick suggests that Ferrari are ‘pleased’ to be going under the radar as teams discuss who might be out in front at this early stage of the season.
Team principal Fred Vasseur knows he will be under pressure if Ferrari fall into the same traps as last season after failing to win a Grand Prix in 2025.
Speaking after Friday’s testing session in Bahrain, via Motorsport, Vasseur said: “The very positive thing is that no one is talking about us. I like this situation.
“You can already focus on yourself.
“No one knows yet. No one knows how strong Mercedes is. No one knows if you weigh 20 kilos, 40 kilos, or 60 kilos.
“And that’s much more than the difference between the cars. That’s why the best way to be is to keep quiet and focus on yourself.
“The first goal when you have a new car like this – completely different from last year – is to rack up the mileage.
“Last year, we arrived with a benchmark from the previous car. We could make comparisons. This year, we’re starting from scratch.”
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