Formula 1

FIA announce decision on controversial F1 rule after team complaints

Sam Cook Saturday 28 February 2026 15:10

Photo: © IMAGO

The FIA have confirmed a decision on their rule book which could have a huge impact on the 2026 F1 season.

The sport's governing body have changed their technical regulations just a week out from the season opener, after a vote from all five engine manufacturers.

2026 is seeing a raft of regulation changes sweeping into F1, including on the power unit side of things, where there is a greater emphasis on electrical energy as well as an internal combustion engine that can run off 100 per cent sustainable fuels.

And amid these power unit rule changes, Mercedes managed to come up with a clever design trick within their power unit design which Max Verstappen believed was worth between 20-30 brake horsepower, or 0.3 seconds per lap.

The clever trick meant that the geometric compression ratio within the power unit could be at the allowed 16:1 when the car was stationary, but then increase to the previously allowed 18:1 when moving, with the previous FIA regulations stating that this would only be measured when the car was stationary.

The vote only needed a 4-1 majority to pass, and it has now been revealed that it has passed, with the FIA releasing a revised technical regulations document ahead of the season-opening Australian GP.

Rules now state that before May 31, geometric compression ratios will only be measured at ambient temperatures, but from June 1, they will also be measured when the engine is at 130 degrees Celsius.

This means that Mercedes will not need to change their power unit design immediately, but will need to have got rid of that clever trick from the Monaco GP onwards.

Mercedes dominance off the table?

For much of the winter off-season, Mercedes have been thought to be the favourites to claim both championship titles in 2026, with the power unit quirk one of the reasons given for their predicted superiority over the rest of the field.

But the last few weeks have suggested that they are not going to have it all their own way. Ferrari looked supremely quick during Bahrain pre-season testing, while Red Bull and McLaren will also likely be in the mix at certain race weekends.

And this new ruling means that any advantage that Mercedes and their power unit customers have in the early season will likely take a hit from the eighth race weekend of the season onwards.

Honda, Red Bull, Ferrari, Audi and Mercedes are the five power unit manufacturers in the sport this year, and together they passed the vote which will also see geometric compression ratios measured only at operational temperatures from the 2027 season.

Formula 1