Gary Anderson delivers verdict on whether Mercedes and Red Bull 2026 engine loophole is against the rules

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The 2026 Formula 1 season is already creating controversy, and no official testing has even taken place yet.

F1 teams are already lining up to head to Barcelona in January for private filming runs before testing officially begins at the end of next month.

Williams have already publicly tested new parts for 2026, and further down the pit lane, Ferrari have debuted a potential new steering wheel that they hope will help Lewis Hamilton.

But the biggest talking point going into 2026 is the new power units that could determine the pecking order on the grid under the new regulations.

The FIA has confirmed that Max Verstappen will switch to #3 in 2026. What would you pick as your F1 driver number?

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Audi and Red Bull will debut their new engines in 2026, while Honda teams up with Aston Martin, and Ferrari and Mercedes continue to supply the rest of the field.

Ferrari are among the teams lobbying the FIA after it emerged that Mercedes and Red Bull had potentially found a loophole to exploit regarding the compression ratios heading into next year.

F1 expert and former Jordan technical chief, Gary Anderson, has shared his view on whether what the two teams are doing could be considered ‘cheating’ heading into next year.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Gary Anderson says Mercedes and Red Bull are not ‘cheating’ with 2026 power unit loophole

Anderson was speaking about the issue with The Race, and he suggested: “This new controversy over Mercedes and Red Bull apparently having found a way to get around the reduced maximum compression ratio permitted in 2026 is yet another example of that [grey areas in Formula 1].

“The regulations define the materials you can use for most of the internal PU components – pistons, conrods, crank, etc. – and even the size of any inserts in the cylinder heads.

“To overcome having roughly a 10% reduction in compression ratio will not be easy, and using materials with higher thermal expansion will be difficult even if they were acceptable.

“This sort of thing is there for everyone to exploit as best they see fit. In my book, it’s not cheating.

“It’s just pushing the limits to the maximum, given the reality that all materials will behave in different ways according to the temperature.

“But of course, if you have failed to spot that opportunity, then, as is always the case in F1, it’s time to cry wolf and try and get those who have to stop.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Max Verstappen gives his view on Red Bull’s new engine with Mercedes prediction made

One of the most interesting talking points heading into 2026 will be the future of Max Verstappen at Red Bull.

Oliver Mintzlaff has discussed Verstappen’s future, and team principal Laurent Mekies will be well aware of how important it is to keep the Dutchman with Red Bull for as long as possible.

Red Bull have gambled on building their own engine for the first time in association with Ford, which will either prove to be a stroke of genius or a serious error.

Verstappen is said to be impressed with Red Bull’s new power unit from what he’s seen in the factory.

However, it will only get his seal of approval if he can race away from his rivals once he gets out on track.

Verstappen has also predicted Mercedes to be very strong in 2026, and many believe that they will have the best engine on the grid next year.

That will be music to the likes of McLaren, Williams and new customers Alpine, who are hoping to be among the strongest teams in the paddock in 2026.