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![\"Audi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/XPB_1377864_HiRes_SIZED.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAudi are the latest engine manufacturer to raise concerns about loopholes in 2026. Image: Audi <\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAudi are the latest engine manufacturer to raise concerns about loopholes in 2026. Image: Audi
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The debate centres on the mandated reduction in compression ratio from 18:1 to 16:1 for the new power units, and whether the regulations adequately account for what happens once engines are running at operating temperature.<\/p>\n
While the rules specify that measurements are taken when the engine is stationary and at ambient conditions, rivals believe some manufacturers may be exploiting thermal expansion to achieve a higher effective compression ratio on track.<\/p>\n
Speaking at Audi\u2019s 2026 car launch<\/a>, technical director James Key said the issue strikes at the heart of fairness under a homologated formula.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to, as we do, trust the FIA with making the right decisions here,\u201d Key said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s new regs. You\u2019ve got to have a level playing field. If someone came up with a clever diffuser and you said it\u2019s not the right thing to do, no one else can have it, but you can have it for the rest of the year.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t make sense. We\u2019d never accept that.\u201d<\/p>\n Key\u2019s comments echoed past regulation flashpoints, notably the double-diffuser controversy of 2009, when wording loopholes created advantages that rivals could not realistically copy mid-season.<\/p>\n With 2026 power units tightly homologated and operating under a cost cap, teams fear a similar scenario where any perceived grey-area gain becomes effectively untouchable.<\/p>\n \u201cI think if it\u2019s sort of bypassing the intent of the regulations, then it has to be in some way controlled,\u201d Key added.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we trust the FIA to do that, because no one wants to sit a season out if you\u2019ve got a blatant advantage that you can do nothing with in a homologated power unit.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think for us, hopefully, the FIA will make the right decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n Audi\u2019s stance aligns it with Ferrari and Honda, who are understood to have queried whether the compression ratio should be considered a hard limit at all times, rather than only under static checks.<\/p>\n Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe acknowledged the regulations leave room for interpretation, while CEO Toshihiro Mibe said manufacturers are seeking clarification from the FIA on which concepts are acceptable.<\/p>\n \u201cRegulations do not have everything listed very clearly, bit by bit,\u201d Mibe said.<\/p>\n
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