ADVANTAGE MERCEDES? BEHIND THE F1 RUMOURS FOR 2026

Will Mercedes-powered F1 teams really have an advantage this season? The hearsay is almost certainly true, says Mark Hughes

- Mark Hughes

It’s unusual that a technical controversy should arise in Formula 1 before the concept has even been raced, but that’s what happened during the off-season with the revelation that Mercedes had found a way to circumnavigate the 2026 regulation regarding the compression ratio of the new power units.

The regulation states a maximum compression ratio of 16:1, as measured in ambient temperatures and (obviously) when not running. Mercedes, it’s believed, has found a way to increase the length of the conrod when the engine is running, to such an extent it can achieve a compression ratio more like 18:1 (which, incidentally, was the previous limit).

Red Bull Powertrains has recruited quite heavily from Mercedes’ High Performance Powertrains organisation in Brixworth and it seems that’s how the information leaked. Red Bull Powertrains duly set about incorporating the feature into its own new engine, though it’s at a less-advanced state of development and seemingly has not yet seen the same gains, which if achieved are in the order of 10-15bhp and worth around 0.3sec of lap time.

Ferrari, Audi and Honda, upon hearing this, sent a letter of objection to the FIA, pointing out that in addition to the technical regulations stating that the compression ratio is measured statically and at ambient temperatures, there is a coverall part of the regulations stating that cars should comply with the regulations in all operating conditions. The FIA gave its opinion that if it cannot measure the compression ratio when running (which it cannot), then there is no evidence of illegality and that therefore the Mercedes interpretation is effectively legal. Even if it is anecdotally known that it exceeds the limit in reality.