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<\/p>\nThe 2026 Formula 1 season doesn\u2019t start with the Australian Grand Prix on 8 March. It started years ago.<\/p>\n
The power unit regulations were approved on 16 August 2022, giving manufacturers a run-up of three and a half years to Melbourne.<\/p>\n
You\u2019d better believe some of them have found some loopholes in that time.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n Given the power unit is expected to be the most influential performance component in 2026, every marque is pushing the envelope in pursuit of kilowatts.<\/p>\n That is, after all, the whole point of Formula 1. Success is only found on the margins of the regulations, close to the border of legality.<\/p>\n The close you get to the border, however, the more contested it becomes.<\/p>\n The calendar hadn\u2019t even ticked over to 2025 when the first border skirmish became public.<\/p>\n Mercedes and Red Bull Powertrains have been accused of breaking the rules in pursuit of performance. It\u2019s pushed their rival manufacturers \u2014 Ferrari, Honda and Audi \u2014 to lodge a complaint with the FIA, the arbiter of the rules.<\/p>\n A meeting between the FIA and the engine manufacturers will be held today in the hope of putting the issue to bed.<\/p>\n If the complainants get their way, Mercedes and Red Bull could be seriously compromised on the eve of the new season.<\/p>\n If they do not, they fear they could be locked into a power disadvantage for the entire year.<\/p>\n With six teams supplied by Mercedes and Red Bull and five teams by the others, the field is split. The effects either way could be significant.<\/p>\n Ricciardo & Max reunite for track day | 01:18<\/p>\n WHAT\u2019S THE CONTROVERSY?<\/p>\n The specifics of the accusation are that Mercedes and Red Bull are breaching the regulation relating to the internal combustion engine\u2019s compression ratio.<\/p>\n The compression ratio is a measurement of cylinder volume, applying individually to all six cylinders of the 1.6-litre V6 engine that is the core of the F1 power unit.<\/p>\n The volume of the cylinder is measured when the piston is at its lowest point \u2014 when fuel and air enter the cylinder.<\/p>\n The volume is then measured again when the piston is at its highest point \u2014 when the fuel is compressed and ignited.<\/p>\n The difference between those two measurements is the compression ratio.<\/p>\n The compression ratio was set at 16:1 from the first version of these regulations in 2022.<\/p>\n In fact the first line of the regulation \u2014 C5.4.3 in the latest edition of the rule book \u2014 is: \u201cNo cylinder of the engine may have a geometric compression ratio higher than 16.0.\u201d<\/p>\n If you think that means an F1 engine must have a compression ratio of 16:1, then you\u2019re not thinking enough like an F1 engineer.<\/p>\n We know this became a topic of debate in 2025 because this particular regulation was progressively tweaked throughout the year.<\/p>\n The matter is believed to have begun blowing up around the middle of last year. We can deduce this because on 16 October the rule was updated.<\/p>\n \u201cNo cylinder of the engine may have a geometric compression ratio higher than 16.0. The procedure which will be used \u2026 [will be] executed at ambient temperature.\u201d<\/p>\n That tells us something \u2014 that the method of measurement was queried and that the FIA was forced to make a clarification about temperature.<\/p>\n Often rules are queried when a team suspects a rival is straying beyond legality. Rather than lodging a formal protest, they\u2019ll ask whether something is allowed in the hope that the FIA will expressly outlaw it, closing the loophole.<\/p>\n But in this case it appears to have done the opposite, because the \u2018ambient temperature\u2019 rule has become the centre of the allegation.<\/p>\n The belief is that Mercedes and Red Bull have designed their engine in such a way that the volume of the cylinder increases when hot \u2014 that is, when it\u2019s running on track.<\/p>\n But when it\u2019s cool in the garage \u2014 at ambient temperature \u2014 it decreases back within the legal limit.<\/p>\n It stays within the letter of the law.<\/p>\n \u201cI think any engineer worth their salt that doesn\u2019t understand about thermal expansion doesn\u2019t belong in this sport \u2014 doesn\u2019t deserve to be an engineer, really,\u201d Red Bull Powertrains technical director Ben Hodgkinson said, per The Times.<\/p>\n \u201cAlmost every material changes with temperature, so it\u2019s understanding how materials behave in different temperatures, pressures, stresses, loads. That\u2019s literally our job.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course Hodgkinson made no admissions about what his motor is or isn\u2019t doing, and he insisted Red Bull Powertrains was sticking to the rules.<\/p>\n \u201cI know what we\u2019re doing. I\u2019m confident that what we\u2019re doing is legal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course we\u2019ve taken it right to the very limit of what the regulations allow. I\u2019d be surprised if everyone hasn\u2019t done that.<\/p>\n \u201cI suspect it\u2019s a lot of noise about nothing. I expect everyone\u2019s going to be sitting at 16. That\u2019s what I really expect.\u201d<\/p>\n Aussie Jack Doohan released by Alpine | 00:36<\/p>\n WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?<\/p>\n The compression ratio had been 18:1 for the previous generation of power unit but has been reduced from 2026.<\/p>\n The FIA has suggested manufacturers weren\u2019t really pushing up against the 18:1 limit previously. A ratio of 16:1, while still high even by motorsport standards, was thought to be more relevant \u2014 and, more to the point, more achievable, which tied into the goal of bringing more manufacturers to the sport.<\/p>\n Audi, for example, announced it would enter Formula 1 just weeks after the engine rules were published. Honda agreed to reverse its decision to quit.<\/p>\n But a reduced compression ratio brings with it reduced power output. Estimates suggest the difference between 18:1 and 16:1 is around 10 kilowatts.<\/p>\n It sounds like a small difference, but it could have a significant impact on the track, where estimates suggest it could be worth 0.3 or 0.4 seconds per lap, depending on the circuit.<\/p>\n It would put any team with a Mercedes or Red Bull engine at an instant advantage if they were achieving anything close to those numbers.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it\u2019s real, it is certainly a significant gap in terms of performance and lap time, and that would make a difference when we come to competition,\u201d Audi chief operating officer Mattia Binotto said.<\/p>\n Audi must be feeling particularly aggrieved. It\u2019s widely expected to have the least powerful motor in the sport in its debut year, and this loophole could leave it even further off the pace.<\/p>\n Technical director James Key said he hoped the FIA would clamp down on compression ratios.<\/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 he said \u201cWe 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 [about] with a homologated power unit.<\/p>\n \u201cI think for us, hopefully, the FIA will make the right decisions.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got to have a level playing field. If someone comes up with a clever diffuser, and you [the FIA] said it\u2019s not the right thing to do [and] no-one else can have it, but [some teams] can have it for the rest of the year, it doesn\u2019t make sense. We would never accept that.\u201d<\/p>\n New team Cadillac has twice the reason to be aggrieved and is doubly invested in the outcome.<\/p>\n Cadillac will take a customer supply of Ferrari engines for the next three years while General Motors designs and builds its own in-house engine for the 2029 season.<\/p>\n \u201cThe regulations clearly state that the compression ratio of the single cylinder should not be greater than 16:1,\u201d team boss Graeme Lowdon told the UK <\/a>Telegraph<\/a>. \u201cThat rule was brought in specifically to attract new PU manufacturers. No other reason.<\/p>\n \u201cThe existing power unit manufacturers have got a lot of experience of operating at a higher compression ratio. But it was made very clear that that wasn\u2019t going to be happening. Otherwise, there is no point having the regulation. Like, literally no point.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is extremely clear. It can\u2019t be 18:1 on a Tuesday or 17:1 on a Wednesday, or anything else. It is 16:1 maximum, and that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n Incredible scenes on Day 6 Dakar Rally | 01:18<\/p>\n WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?<\/p>\n Today\u2019s meeting is being convened to address the concerns of Mercedes and Red Bull\u2019s rival manufacturers.<\/p>\n Consensus is, however, that little can be done so near to the season.<\/p>\n The power unit regulations were published more than three years ago for a reason. Extremely complex bits of kit, designing a turbocharged and heavily hybridised engine doesn\u2019t happen overnight.<\/p>\n Something as fundamental as the cylinder and piston architecture will have been locked in for a long time. The first test is next week, and the Australian Grand Prix is in a little over six weeks. A rule change now would be impractical \u2014 never mind Mercedes and Red Bull appearing to have had their positions validated several times by regulation clarifications.<\/p>\n Even so, FIA single seater director Nicolas Tombazis has appeared to hint at some kind of compromise being on the table today.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we have new regulations, I think it is normal that there will be some discussion points, some areas which need a bit of clarification or adjustment, and that\u2019s what we are currently discussing with the various stakeholders,\u201d he told the UK <\/a>Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have an objective to make sure that procedures are interpreted and understood in the same way.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are confident the rules can be clarified and I would say that I\u2019m sure it will no longer be a talking point very soon.\u201d<\/p>\n But Audi boss Binotto sees little hope for a resolution for 2026. Instead he thinks the sport must focus on locking down this loophole ahead of 2027.<\/p>\n \u201cToday we are doing it [measuring] in cool conditions with the engine disassembled, so you may wait until the end of the season to know if you are compliant,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are trying, all together, to really develop a methodology where we can measure it in real time while the car is running.<\/p>\n \u201cMy hope in that meeting is not clarity on the regulation itself, but more to define a methodology for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n ‘The viewing numbers speaks for itself’ | 05:35<\/p>\n WHAT HAPPENS IF THERE\u2019S NO AGREEMENT?<\/p>\n The FIA has failsafe regulations it hopes will prevent total domination by one or more engine manufacturers \u2014 that is, to prevent a repeat of Mercedes\u2019s domination following the 2014 rule changes.<\/p>\n The additional development and upgrade opportunities rule \u2014 ADUO for short \u2014 will measure relative engine performance in six-race intervals. Development is frozen during the season, but any manufacturer found to be between 2 and 4 per cent behind will be allowed one upgrade, while a deficit of more than 4 per cent will earn two upgrades.<\/p>\n Some fear that ADUO could lead to some manufacturers taking big leaps through the year, meaning everyone will eventually get an upgrade, which undermines the purpose of the development freeze.<\/p>\n But Red Bull\u2019s Hodgkinson thinks the opposite.<\/p>\n \u201cThe gestation time of an idea in power units is much longer than it is for the chassis,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that it\u2019s quite challenging to come up with an update in a couple of weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cAlso, because we\u2019re homologated, you can\u2019t really take a flyer on something that isn\u2019t well proven, because you could be signing up to a world of pain.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that if a team has an advantage on the power unit in race one, it\u2019s going to take some time before anyone else can catch up.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s before considering manufacturing time \u2014 and every manufacturer bar Honda and Audi supplies multiple teams, multiplying the workload.<\/p>\n There\u2019s always the nuclear option: formal protest.<\/p>\n A protest could trigger a deep dive into the affected engines and, depending on how far it went, even end up in the FIA International Court of Appeal, which would hear arguments from both sides.<\/p>\n Some point to another regulation as the foundation of a possible pushback from the other manufacturers.<\/p>\n Article C1.5 states: \u201cFormula 1 cars must comply with these regulations in their entirety at all times during a competition.\u201d<\/p>\n But there\u2019s a problem here too.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can protest if you know what you\u2019re protesting,\u201d Audi boss Binotto said.<\/p>\n While suspicions abound, it appears the aggrieved manufacturers don\u2019t know exactly what Mercedes and Red Bull Powertrains are doing, only that they\u2019re doing something.<\/p>\n If they can\u2019t form a specific allegation relating to a specific regulation, then they can\u2019t lodge a protest.<\/p>\n It leaves only one real alternative.<\/p>\n \u201cRegulations do not have everything listed very clearly, bit by bit,\u201d said Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a lot of room for interpretation as well, and this is a part of the race.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the FIA, it\u2019s up to them to decide on whether it\u2019s good or bad.<\/p>\n \u201cFor Honda, we have a lot of different ideas, and we would like to discuss with the FIA to understand if our ideas are accepted or are not okay.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s how we\u2019re going to proceed.\u201d<\/p>\n A Formula 1 team wouldn\u2019t be very good if it wasn\u2019t searching for and exploiting grey areas in the rules. Mercedes and Red Bull Powertrains would be justified to argue they\u2019ve just done a better job than everyone else \u2014 it is a competition, after all.<\/p>\n Focus on this particular loophole doesn\u2019t mean there aren\u2019t others being exploited in the meanwhile \u2014 in fact this situation might suit some manufacturers just fine, ensuring the spotlight remains elsewhere.<\/p>\n Regardless of conclusions from today\u2019s meeting, we\u2019ll get our first concrete answers when the cars finally hit the track next week<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2026 Formula 1 season doesn\u2019t start with the Australian Grand Prix on 8 March. 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