No Grey Areas Allowed: FIA Looks To End Alleged 2026 Engine Controversy - Report

Last Updated:January 25, 2026, 21:11 IST

FIA looks to address rumors of a Mercedes and Red Bull engine trick for 2026, vowing clear rules on compression ratio before the season starts to prevent any competitive imbalance.

Mercedes' George Russell. (AFP)

Formula 1 hasn’t even reached the grid yet, and the FIA already wants the first fire put out.

As speculation swirls around a controversial alleged engine “trick" ahead of the 2026 season, the FIA’s single-seater technical director has stepped in to cool the noise and make one thing clear: the sport will not start its next era in a grey area.

At the heart of the debate is a rumoured compression ratio workaround.

Reports over the winter suggested that some power unit manufacturers, most notably Mercedes High Performance Powertrains and Red Bull Powertrains, may have found a way to effectively exceed the 16:1 compression ratio limit written into the 2026 technical regulations.

The theory hinges on how that ratio is measured. Currently, checks are carried out at ambient temperatures in the pit lane. Once a car is on track and heat comes into play, there’s no direct method of monitoring it. In theory, heat-expanding materials could allow a higher compression ratio — and more power — during running.

That possibility triggered headlines, accusations of loopholes, and fears of a competitive imbalance before the season even began.

Nikolas Tombazis, however, was quick to inject perspective.

Speaking to RacingNews365 after a January 22 meeting between the FIA and power unit manufacturers, the FIA’s single-seater technical director stressed that the gathering was neither confrontational nor decisive.

“This was not a summit meeting where big decisions were made," Tombazis said. “The meeting had a very clear agenda — to discuss the technicalities and methodology of measuring compression ratio."

In other words, this wasn’t about pointing fingers. It was about science.

Tombazis explained that the FIA deliberately shut down attempts to turn the discussion into a broader argument about intent or interpretation. Once that boundary was set, manufacturers engaged constructively, approaching the issue as engineers rather than political operators.

He also pushed back on the loaded language surrounding the situation.

“What exactly a loophole is, is a bit of a discussion," Tombazis noted, adding that there is no evidence of anyone breaching the rules or even clarity on what solutions teams may or may not have developed.

Still, the FIA’s stance is firm. Ambiguity will not be tolerated when the lights go out for the first race of the new era.

“The number one objective is to make sure this gets completely put to bed in a totally absolute black-and-white way before the first race," Tombazis said.

That urgency isn’t theoretical. Twelve of the 22 cars on the 2026 grid will run Mercedes or Ford/Red Bull power units. If any interpretive edge exists, rivals like Ferrari, Honda and Audi are reportedly ready to challenge it immediately.

News sports formula-one No Grey Areas Allowed: FIA Looks To End Alleged 2026 Engine Controversy - Report

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