Former Mercedes engineer warns that Ferrari won’t get off ‘scot-free’ after FIA engine clampdown

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Mark Slade believes Ferrari are going to suffer similarly, albeit less so, than Mercedes ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend.

Coming into the new season, there was a lot of talk about Mercedes bypassing the compression ratio rules with a trick in their engine during cold and hot conditions.

Toto Wolff and Mercedes got approval from FIA ahead of the season, much to the chagrin of other teams that had complained about their methods.

Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur slammed the FIA for not taking stronger action against Mercedes for their dubious methods, despite believing the FIA would ban Mercedes’ compression ratio trick.

And while the FIA has defended Mercedes from any wrongdoing, the upcoming hot test at Monaco could prove otherwise. But Ferrari shouldn’t be so confident that they won’t also face punitive damage.

READ MORE: Mercedes insiders dispute Toto Wolff’s claims of 2026 F1 engine horsepower advantage

Former Mercedes engineer claims Ferrari could also be punished after Monaco hot test

Speaking with Peter Windsor, former Mercedes engineer Mark Slade was asked about the upcoming hot test in Monaco, where Mercedes’ engine will come under scrutiny.

While Slade believes that Mercedes are going to have their advantage taken away from them, he expects Ferrari adapting their engine similarly will lead to them also being punished.

“Ferrari have these steel cylinder heads. And when the issue of the Mercedes compression ratio was brought up, I thought part of the reason they (Ferrari) went down that route was to try and get a small benefit from differential expansion of materials.

“So I think they touted it as being mainly a sort of rigidity benefit, which it will be as well. But I think they might be getting some small compression ratio benefit from that.

“If that’s a measurable amount, they will also have to react to that and they may have to be doing some work to bring their compression ratios into alignment with the new rules after the next two races.

“Ultimately, whatever benefit they are getting from that, even if it would be small, it’s fair to say Mercedes will be penalised relatively more than Ferrari… It might be that Ferrari aren’t scot-free and that they’re actually having to do some work as well.”

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

Are Mercedes’ rivals hiding behind 2026 ‘excuses’?

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Ferrari adapting to new season could backfire even before Monaco GP test

With the Monaco test currently over a month away, Ferrari might be inclined to rest easy, hoping to gain an advantage over Mercedes and other rivals as the season resumes.

With the recent tweaks to the new regulations, especially as it pertains to starting procedures, some believe Ferrari will lose their advantage over other teams during race starts.

Ferrari have made numerous changes and improvements during this five-week hiatus to try and close the gap between themselves and Mercedes.

Internally, Ferrari believe their changes will flip the script on the new season and give them a leg up on their rivals, starting with the Miami Grand Prix this weekend.