FIA could now ban Mercedes design at the Austrian Grand Prix after Ferrari raised questions

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The FIA is now considering banning Mercedes’ latest rear diffuser as early as the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix this weekend after Ferrari raised questions regarding the concept.

Mercedes and Ferrari are now increasingly looking likely to contest in a duel for the title this term, after Lewis Hamilton won his first Grand Prix in red last time out in Barcelona. The win moved the seven-time champion to 41 points behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the standings.

Ferrari are set to debut an upgraded engine in Austria this weekend, as well, in the hopes of handing Hamilton and Charles Leclerc a car with which they can regularly rival Antonelli and George Russell of Mercedes. And it seems like games might also be underway off the circuit.

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The FIA could ban Mercedes’ rear diffuser as soon as this week’s Austrian Grand Prix

On the same weekend that Ferrari are due to debut an upgraded engine in Austria that their simulations suggest will be worth 0.2 seconds per lap, a report has emerged suggesting that Mercedes are begging the FIA against issuing any clamp down concerning their rear diffuser.

READ MORE: How to watch the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix on TV, plus the weather forecast

According to RacingNews365, Mercedes are trying to convince the FIA to at least delay any ban on their rear diffuser until next week’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone, given that they are already in Austria. Mercedes also remain adamant that their diffuser’s concept is ‘legal’.

The FIA is considering banning Mercedes’ design after Ferrari asked F1’s governing body for clarification regarding whether or not it is actually legal. The Silver Arrows recently included extensions to their diffuser that caught Ferrari’s eye, so the Scuderia have raised questions.

It still remains to be seen whether the FIA will ban Mercedes’ design on the eve of the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix weekend at the Red Bull Ring, give the Silver Arrows until the British GP at Silverstone to implement any modifications, or even choose against banning it altogether.

It must be noted that Ferrari have not accused Mercedes of any wrongdoing with the design of their rear diffuser by asking the FIA for clarification regarding the part’s legality. F1 teams regularly ask the FIA for clarification about a rival team’s design to know whether to copy it.

With a title fight on the horizon between Hamilton and Antonelli, with Russell also just nine points shy of his former Mercedes teammate, Ferrari will naturally not want to afford their rival any advantage. And given the Red Bull Ring is not expected to favour the SF-26 against the W17, the FIA potentially forcing the Silver Arrows to make late changes may prove huge.