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F1 teams are meeting on Thursday to discuss Mercedes’ use of a controversial loophole in the 2026 engine regulations.
It’s said that Mercedes, and to some extent Red Bull Powertrains, are exceeding the maximum fuel compression ratio of 16:1 when their car is on track. They’re apparently closer to the previous limit of 18:1.
This translates to a considerable horsepower advantage worth around three tenths of a second per lap. Rival engine manufacturers like Ferrari will need months to copy Mercedes due to the complexity of the technology.
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As it stands, the FIA only carry out checks when the car is stationary, so there’s no way of proving whether the allegations against Mercedes and RBPT are true.
The FIA have already ‘approved’ Mercedes’ controversial engine trick
According to Motorsport IT, the problem could have been solved by placing an FIA sensor in the combustion chamber to measure the compression ratio, but the teams couldn’t reach a consensus.
Mattia Binotto says Ferrari and co. can’t lodge a protest at the first race in Melbourne because they don’t have all the required information.
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Besides, it’s likely that any such protest would fail. That’s because Mercedes already have ‘written correspondence’ from the FIA that ‘approves’ their solution.
Ferrari, Audi and Honda will likely push for real-time measurement to be introduced during the season, but this may have to wait until 2027 at the earliest.
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It may seem like catastrophising to suggest that this rules Ferrari out of the title race. Indeed, pre-season testing doesn’t even begin until next week.
But if the estimates are correct, a three-tenth advantage is extremely precious for Mercedes and their customers. There’s a reason that this has become such a big story already.
One Italian journalist fears Ferrari could be fighting for ninth and 10th in Melbourne behind all four Mercedes customer teams.
It might not be that bleak for the Scuderia, but it’s difficult to see them overcoming an inherent and considerable power deficit over a full season.
The FIA correspondence seemingly rules out a change being made before it’s too late.
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