The Mercedes and Red Bull power units are reportedly capable of increasing their compression ratio when hot, even though the ratio is measured when the engine is cold. Protests from Ferrari, Audi, and Honda have been rejected

A point in Mercedes’ favor. At the start of what promises to be a revolutionary season for Formula 1—marked by an unprecedented regulatory overhaul—there has been no shortage of controversy over rumors and leaks regarding the alleged “trick” devised by Toto Wolff’s team. At the center of the controversy is the Mercedes power unit, which, when hot, is said to be capable of increasing the compression ratio from the standard 16:1 (cold) up to 18:1 during operation. A trick that, according to rivals Ferrari, Honda, and Audi, would not only give the team a significant advantage on the track but would also violate Federation regulations—which, however, currently only require cold measurements.

To address the engine manufacturers’ concerns and complaints, a meeting with the FIA was held on Thursday, January 22. However, the Mercedes team—and potentially Red Bull Powertrains as well, which, according to some rumors, has adopted the same tactic—emerged successfully from the meeting, ready to take to the track in Melbourne with the solution they’ve adopted, which the FIA currently deems legal. As Mattia Binotto anticipated during the Audi presentation, the discussion with the Federation and the engine manufacturers during the meeting focused on finding a solution for the future to agree on a method for measuring the compression ratio under hot conditions. However, this framework will not take effect until well after the start of the season in March and will therefore not affect the outcome of the upcoming championship, as the FIA has not planned any intervention in the near future. This conservative approach by the Federation—which seeks to stem controversy before the start of the new regulatory cycle—could, however, lead to potential official complaints from other engine manufacturers starting with the season’s first Grand Prix: a way to further highlight dissatisfaction with the solution adopted by Mercedes and to kick off a technical and political battle. However, doubts remain as to how the Federation could verify a potential official complaint in the absence of tools and methods to measure the condition in question. Everything is therefore postponed until the start of the championship in Melbourne, where the teams’ intentions regarding the continuation of this dispute will be revealed, along with the actual forces at play on the track—with or without tricks.