Mercedes to be outvoted by F1 rivals as FIA 'submit engine change proposal'

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Mercedes to be outvoted by F1 rivals as FIA 'submit engine change proposal'

F1's governing body are said to be reviewing a change that could hamper Mercedes' lead

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 21 March 2026 08:52

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F1 2026 title favourites Mercedes could be at risk of losing their advantage over the rest of the pack as the FIA are reportedly looking into bringing forward an engine change deadline.

The Silver Arrows have cemented their position as the team to beat early on in the new regulations cycle, with the driver duo of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli having taken a grand prix victory each in the opening two rounds of the campaign.

Though Ferrari have certainly looked the strongest immediately after lights out thanks to their lightning fast starting procedure on show in Melbourne and Shanghai, Mercedes have been able to outdo the Scuderia on pure race pace.

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Speaking after picking up his first podium in red at last weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton said of the gap to his former team: "In the race trim I think they’ve got four or five tenths on us at the moment. That’s a huge step to pick up, both in downforce and efficiency and also power.

"That’s a huge upgrade that we need to push for."

And now, Ferrari could be about to get just the chance Hamilton was hoping for as the FIA are believed to be 'submitting a proposal' to the F1 engine manufacturers to bring forward the ADUO deadline following a double race cancellation on the 2026 calendar.

GPFans have contacted the FIA for comment.

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F1 race cancellations prompt FIA deadline change proposal

In the early hours of last Sunday morning, just before the stars of the 2026 grid took to the track for the Chinese GP, the sport's worst kept secret was confirmed as F1 announced the decision to move this year's championship to a 22-race calendar.

F1 officially cancelled the 2026 Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix as ongoing conflict in the Middle East rages on, with the decision also being confirmed that no replacement races had been lined up.

As a result, confusion spread over whether the sport's ADUO regulations (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) would be impacted.

The ADUO regulations consist of four periods throughout the 2026 season, where every six races, the peak performance of the engines from each of the manufacturers is compared using an ICE Performance Index.

However, with both of next month's F1 races scrapped, the sixth race on the calendar will now be the Monaco GP, which isn't until June.

Had the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs remained on the lineup, the engine review would have gone ahead after the first six rounds which were originally planned, following the Miami GP in early May.

However, following the double race cancellation, Motorsport-Magazin.com have reported that a change to bring that deadline forward to the Miami GP, which is now the fourth round of the season, could be on the horizon.

A recent report from the above publication read: "The FIA will submit a proposal to the engine manufacturers to bring the deadline forward.

"Since only Mercedes is expected to oppose it, the proposal is likely to be approved."

What are the ADUO F1 regulations?

F1's ADUO regulations were introduced by the FIA to hand a lifeline to any power unit manufacturers who are significantly struggling to keep up with the top performing teams, with extra opportunities to introduce new engine components.

Though the engines have already been homologated, it could still be bad news for Mercedes who are perfectly happy running miles ahead of their nearest competitors out on track. For Ferrari however, it could be just what they need in order to close the gap to the current constructors' championship leaders.

Should the FIA decide to bring forward the deadline to still allow upgrades following the Miami GP on May 3, it would certainly be a welcome development for Honda, who provide power units to Aston Martin, the only team who are yet to complete a full-length grand prix after struggling with their new works partnership.

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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