FIA director accused of having ‘no idea’ about Mercedes’ controversial 2026 engine

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Mercedes and Red Bull are allegedly violating the spirit of the 2026 F1 engine regulations. That’s the accusation being levelled by rival teams.

Under the rules, the maximum fuel compression ratio is 16:1, but Mercedes and RBPT are expected to run at 18:1. Crucially, they have found a way to achieve this on track while still being compliant when the car is disassembled for checks.

The issue was top of the agenda when F1 teams held a meeting on Thursday. There are ways to track fuel compression ratios in real time, but because it’s not currently monitored, it would require a change to the regulations.

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Thanks to their customers, Mercedes (McLaren, Williams, Alpine) and Red Bull (Racing Bulls) have a majority in the event of a vote. The Ferrari, Audi and Honda camps are outnumbered.

Nikolas Tombazis told he has ‘no idea’ how powerful Mercedes’ engine trick will be

There is written correspondence between Mercedes and the FIA confirming that, in the eyes of the governing body, they’re not breaching the rules.

The expectation is that the higher fuel compression ratio will yield considerably more horsepower, potentially equivalent to three to four-tenths per lap.

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One source from a team not supplied by Mercedes or Red Bull – so either Ferrari, Haas, Cadillac, Audi or Aston Martin – told The Telegraph that they would be ‘amazed’ if there was no protest at the start of the season.

They also said that FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis has ‘no idea’ how much performance the two manufacturers stand to gain. As such, he doesn’t understand the severity of the issue.

What has Nikolas Tombazis said about Mercedes and Red Bull rumours?

Tombazis said, via the same publication: “I certainly wouldn’t call this a serious problem… We are talking about very, very small amounts of performance. But nonetheless, people are getting very jumpy.

“I won’t go into more detail, but I will say that I’m sure it will no longer be a talking point very, very soon.”

It has already been reported that Ferrari could lodge a protest after the Australian GP. Aston Martin could be another team to pursue that avenue with Adrian Newey reportedly ‘furious’ about the situation.

However, Audi’s Mattia Binotto has played down the chances of a protest, suggesting that the teams don’t have enough specific details about the Mercedes/Red Bull methods to meet the criteria.