Overview
- Audi, Ferrari and Honda have formally complained to the FIA, alleging Mercedes and Red Bull used materials that increase compression at running temperature under the 2026 power unit rules.
- The FIA acknowledged that thermal expansion can change dimensions at operating temperature and said current regulations do not require hot-condition measurements, adding it is considering revised procedures.
- Reporting suggests the suspected approach could be worth about 15 horsepower and roughly three tenths in Melbourne, though any advantage has not been proven publicly.
- With private preseason running slated for Barcelona and Bahrain and the Australian Grand Prix set for March 8, any late change to measurement methods would be difficult to implement.
- The dispute unfolds as F1 readies a major 2026 reset with smaller cars, active aero replacing DRS, and a 50% ICE–50% electric power split with a 350 kW MGU-K, while teams signal their positions, from Mercedes’ upbeat simulator notes to Aston Martin’s Honda supply and high-profile hires.