Mercedes engine ban update as teams take vote and FIA issues statement | F1 | Sport
Mercedes will be allowed to use their 2026 engines until at least the summer break, the FIA has confirmed, despite rivals claiming they should not be permitted to make use of a loophole in the new Formula 1 regulations. Mercedes are said to have found a way to imcrease the compression ratio of their power units beyond the 16:1 limit when heated up, with the current rules stating it will only be measured at an ambient temperature.
Mercedes always argued that the approach was legal but all other manufacturers said they would vote for the rules to be changed. The FIA has now confirmed that a vote will be taken on whether a rule change should come into force in the summer, allowing Mercedes to use their current engines for the first half of the season.
A statement from the governing body read: “A proposal has been submitted whereby, from August 1, 2026, compliance with the compression ratio limit must be demonstrated not only at ambient conditions, but also at a representative operating temperature of 130°C.
“The vote has been submitted to the Power Unit Manufacturers, and its outcome is expected within the next 10 days and will be communicated in due course. As with all Formula 1 regulatory changes, any amendment remains subject to final approval by the FIA World Motor Sport Council.”
The statement came after a meeting of the Power Unit Manufacturers with the FIA and Formula One Management in Bahrain on Wednesday morning, while the first day of the second pre-season test was taking place. A meeting of the F1 Commission was also held, where it was decided that “no immediate major regulatory changes are required”, though the rest of testing will be used to trial some proposals, particularly around the start procedure.
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There are worries that these new cars, while rely on much more electrical energy, take some time to get ready to launch from a standing start. For safety reasons, it has been proposed that tweaks be made to the start procedure of a race and the FIA confirmed that a different approach will be trialed at some point during the remaining amount of track time in Bahrain this week.
The FIA said: “It was agreed that initial evidence and feedback remains immature and a premature change [to the regulations] carried the risk of increased instability ahead of the first race. Further reviews will be carried out once more data becomes available.
“There were constructive talks and proposals centred on the race start procedure during the commission meeting. As a result, further evaluation of updates to race systems and on-car management will be undertaken during the current Bahrain test.”
It was also confirmed that the number of Sprint races held per season could increase from six to 12 in future years, “based on the demand for Sprints from fans and promoters”.
