Ferrari want the FIA to explain how Mercedes and Red Bull can use an emergency mode for performance

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Ferrari now want the FIA to explain why Mercedes and Red Bull can utilise a loophole in the 2026 engine regulations and use an emergency MGU-K cut-off during qualifying.

The Scuderia feel the FIA needs to clamp down on the trick that they noticed Mercedes and Red Bull were using during qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix last Saturday. Andrea Kimi Antonelli took pole at Suzuka with his 1:28.778 lap, in another one-two for the Silver Arrows.

Mercedes engine customer McLaren also rivalled Ferrari during qualifying in Japan, as Oscar Piastri sealed P3 on the grid by 0.273s over Charles Leclerc in P4. Lando Norris qualified P5 for the Japanese GP in his MCL40 ahead of Lewis Hamilton in P6 in his SF-26 by 0.158s, too.

Qualifying was not as positive for Red Bull as it was for Mercedes and McLaren, as the RB22 displayed horrendous balance problems that saw Max Verstappen bow out of qualifying for the Japanese GP in Q2. Isack Hadjar was the lead Red Bull driver, but he only qualified in P8.

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Ferrari want the FIA to explain why Mercedes can exploit the MGU-K in qualifying

With Mercedes also Ferrari’s big rival for the F1 drivers’ championship and the constructors’ championship in 2026, the Scuderia have particularly taken issue with Antonelli and George Russell utilising a possible loophole in the power unit regulations to improve their lap times.

READ MORE: When is the next race after F1 cancelled the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia rounds?

That is according to The Race, which reports that Ferrari want the FIA to explain how it can be legal for Mercedes and Red Bull to exploit a shut-off for the MGU-K designed to be used in the event of a problem to gain more performance at the end of a flying lap in qualifying.

F1’s 2026 regulations allow for the MGU-K to be completely turned off at any point. But it is at the price of the battery being unavailable for a full 60 seconds afterwards to try to stop it being used by teams to gain performance on more straights and normal racing conditions.

The 60s lockout has so far been enough to prevent teams from using the emergence cut-off system in a race. But Ferrari feel it became clear in Japan that the Mercedes-engined teams and Red Bull used the trick at the end of a qualifying lap for a speed boost to the finish line.

Ferrari accept that Mercedes and Red Bull are not breaking any rules by the wording of the 2026 engine regulations by exploiting the loophole. But the Maranello natives want the FIA to explain why the loophole was not removed, and also whether it will still continue to be legal.

Mercedes’ energy deployment has been a major advantage in 2026, beyond the team being able to potentially use the full 350kw limit of the MGU-K for longer before cutting it straight down to zero. The MGU-K normally decreases by 50kw at a time with one-second intervals.

But the Silver Arrows being able to use more of the power from the MGU-K for longer at the end of a qualifying lap would no doubt frustrate the Scuderia. Ferrari’s smaller turbo has let Hamilton and Leclerc make rapid starts, but they always start behind Russell and Antonelli.

If the benefits of the MGU-K loophole are big enough, Ferrari may feel Hamilton and Leclerc would be able to out-qualify Russell and/or Antonelli if the FIA was to ban it. It could also be why Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur claims F1 may see a “different championship” in Miami.