Audi Formula 1 chiefs expect the FIA will take action to prevent teams from having a “blatant” power unit advantage in 2026.
This year, all new regulations have come into effect, splitting performance almost 50/50 between the V6 internal combustion engine and a revised hybrid system.
The MGU-H is gone, and the MGU-K significantly increased, taking electrical power up from around 160hp under the previous rules to almost 470hp in 2026.
Late last year, however, it emerged that Mercedes and potentially Red Bull Ford had discovered a loophole in the new F1 regulations.
This centred around the combustion ratio in the V6 ICE, which has been lowered to 16:1 for 2026, but reports indicated those manufacturers had found a way to increase the ratio back to the old 18:1 that was run under the previous rules.
To do this, the engine is designed to run at the permitted 16:1 ratio in ambient temperatures, meeting the FIA requirement, but then that ratio increases as the engine runs hotter while on track.
If achieved, this could give teams more horsepower and improved fuel efficiency, two vital performance areas in the 2026 F1 power unit rules.
As a result, Audi, Honda and Ferrari have been vocal in calling for the FIA to clamp down on such trickery, fearing it could cost them throughout the upcoming season.
“If it’s real, it is certainly a significant gap in terms of performance and lap time, and that would make a difference when we come to competition,” Audi chief Mattia Binotto explained via F1i.com.
Audi technical director James Key was stronger in his call for action from F1’s governing body, adding: “I think if it’s sort of bypassing the intent of the regulations, then it has to be in some way controlled.
“We trust the FIA to do that, because no one wants to sit a season out if you’ve got a blatant advantage that you can do nothing [about] with a homologated power unit.
“I think for us, hopefully, the FIA will make the right decisions.”
In response, FIA technical experts will meet today (22 January) to ensure the intent of the regulations is administered correctly.
“As is customary with the introduction of new regulations, discussions on the 2026 iteration covering power unit and chassis are ongoing,” a statement read.
“As always, the FIA assesses the situation in order to make sure the regulations are understood and applied in the same manner between all the participants.”
With meaningful action unlikely to be taken until 2027, however, Binotto has low expectations.
“I don’t think there will be clarity or compromise,” said the former Ferrari chief.
“The meeting is more to continue to discuss how can we improve or develop a methodology for the future to measure the compression ratios in operating conditions.
“Today we are doing it [measuring] in cool conditions with the engine disassembled – so you may wait until the end of the season to know if you are compliant.
“It’s simply we are trying, all together, to really develop a methodology where we can measure it in real time while the car is running.
“My hope in that meeting is not clarity on the regulation itself, but more to define a methodology for the future.”
