This week, Formula 1’s engine manufacturer’s are heading into two crucial meetings with the FIA, both aimed at defusing – or detonating – the simmering dispute over compression ratios in the new-generation power units.
At stake is not just a measurement method, but competitive balance heading into the 2026 era.
Behind closed doors, engineers, regulators and manufacturer representatives are wrestling with a deceptively simple question: How exactly should an engine’s compression ratio be measured when it’s running hot?
The answer could redraw the competitive map before the new rules even fully take hold.
Two Meetings, One Pressure Cooker
According to a report from The Race, a first gathering scheduled for Monday is a technical workshop with engine specialists tasked with refining a framework for testing compression ratios under operating temperatures rather than ambient conditions.
On paper, it is a procedural discussion. In reality, it is anything but.
Then comes Thursday’s meeting of the Power Unit Advisory Committee (PUAC), where the topic is expected to escalate from technical theory to political decision-making.
The FIA is keen to draw a definitive line under the issue before the 2026 season begins, wary of another regulation grey area morphing into a multi-year advantage for a select few.
The controversy stems from suspicions that Mercedes – and possibly Red Bull – may have identified a way to exceed the nominal 16:1 compression limit once their engines reach race temperatures.
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Current compliance checks are conducted in cooler, ambient conditions, creating a potential discrepancy between what is legal in the garage and what happens at full throttle on track.
While no immediate rule rewrite appears imminent, the FIA’s preferred route is consensus: a universally accepted method of “hot” measurement that closes any theoretical loophole without formally amending the regulations.
Trust, Data and Quiet Alliances
Recent technical talks reportedly produced partial agreement on guiding principles, but not universal support. Only a subset of manufacturers are said to be fully aligned, with Ferrari, Audi and Honda known to have coordinated their stance through prior correspondence with the governing body.
Ferrari engine technical director Enrico Gualtieri has struck a measured tone amid the tension, emphasizing process over confrontation.
"We are still discussing with them [the FIA]," he said last month, quoted by The Race.
"We had a meeting, a technical workshop and we are going to have an additional one in the next days, up to the [next] PUAC meeting.
"So we are approaching the topic together with them [the FIA]. We are certainly trusting them for managing the topic in the proper way, going through the procedures and the governance that is in place by regulation. And we completely trust that the process could come in the next days and weeks."
Gualtieri’s words project calm, but the subtext is unmistakable: this is a delicate balancing act between technical fairness and political reality. Any adjustment perceived to disadvantage Mercedes or Red Bull is unlikely to gain their blessing.
So the question lingers – will consensus prevail, or will rival teams escalate matters with formal protests once engines hit the track?
In a championship where thousandths of a second define glory and obscurity, even the temperature at which a ratio is measured can become a battlefield.
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