The new season was anticipated by a controversy between manufacturers over the power units due to a regulatory gap on the compression ratio
With less than a month to go until the Barcelona tests, the new Formula 1 cars have never taken to the track and yet controversy and suspicions are already mounting about the next championship starting on March 8 in Melbourne. The battle of the engines has exploded. Important responses are expected from January 2nd when the factories reopen after the mandatory lockout. The matter has emerged in recent days: three manufacturers (Audi, Ferrari and Honda) have written a letter to the Federation asking for a position regarding a system devised by Mercedes and replicated by Red Bull thanks to the knowledge of engineers taken from the competition (from this year Verstappen’s team is building its own engines).
The case focuses on the interpretation of the new rules in one of those gray areas that have always characterized research in F1. A stunt which, if admitted, could have notable effects on the fight for the World Championship. It would guarantee a big advantage, we’re talking about up to four tenths per lap, all data to be demonstrated.
The topic is complex and concerns the turbo V6: the 2026 regulation has lowered the limit value of the compression ratio (one of the performance indicators of a combustion engine, the higher it is, the greater the performance, in a nutshell) bringing it from the previous 18:1 to the current 16:1, this to better harmonize the interaction with the more powerful electric unit than in the past.
According to the new code the checks will be carried out at room temperatures (i.e. in the garage or in the pit lane), while nothing is specified in running mode, when hot. According to the three manufacturers who invoke the intervention of the FIA, the Mercedes engines (also used by McLaren, Alpine and Williams) would be able to increase the compression ratio in the high performance phase and then fall within the “cold” parameters. As? Rumors speak of a particular architecture of the six-cylinder, others indicate deformable materials. The accusation: it is a ploy that goes against the spirit of the regulations, the single-seaters must comply at all times. The defense: no tricks, rather ingenuity. Or perhaps a more aggressive reading of the rules. So much so that the Federation would have been aware of the Mercedes projects. In fact, interventions on the engine require long times and huge costs in the event of necessary adjustments.
The FIA finds itself chasing again. In 2020, Mercedes surprised its rivals with the magic steering wheel (Das) by exploiting a regulatory hole that was plugged the following season when the mechanism was banned. But it took months to settle the dispute. This time, at the dawn of a new cycle – presented by Liberty and FIA in the name of clarity with a joint vocabulary – the question is urgent, especially for those who risk leaving late.
Among the possible strategies of the three manufacturers to avoid escalation (the last card available is that of technical protest, risky and damaging to the image of F1) is that of putting pressure on the FIA to change the methods of controlling the compression ratio, however complex the matter is. If this hypothesis were to be followed, new criteria could be introduced after 6-7 races, a period of time considered sufficient to update the power units. Political maneuvers, power struggles, speculation and fears. The World Cup began a while ago.
