Mercedes rivals plotting F1 engine rule change for Melbourne
www.the-race.comMercedes’ rivals are hoping to pull together a proposal to change Formula 1’s engine compression ratio rules in time for the start of the season in Australia, The Race has learned
This will be a DAS situation at best. The engine will have been designed with this compression trick in mind, it’s not likely to be something they can just disable with the flick of a switch before Australia. And the FIA is not going to rule that half the grid can’t compete because of this engine thing. It will either be deemed legal and other teams will have to figure it out, or it will be banned for next year but legal this year.
The engine is illegal because of §C1.5 and they should. They won’t because sporting integrity is not part of the FIA under MBS.
How would you know that they are breaking the rules? Is suspicion enough to call the engine illegal?
Heat up the engine and find out. If Toto Wolff and his engine customers are against it, it’s an admission of guilt.
Oh they are against it? Guilty.
You already have all the facts.
I’m not in favor of a lopsided season but Mercedes found a loophole in the regulations and the other teams are salty that they either didn’t think of it or couldn’t replicate it in the case of RB.
When new regulations are at play it’s always about who can find a nice wiggle room to exploit. It will and should be closed eventually but banning it outright is just silly.
Where is the loophole there?
The bit about measuring compression ration at ambient temperature was added late in the rules cycle. Too late for rule-abiding teams to use that made for Mercedes “loophole”. See https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/fia_2026_formula_1_technical_regulations_issue_8_-_2024-06-24.pdf if you don’t believe me.
Maybe, but I agree with Coelacanth, haven’t they already confirmed with the FIA for the season ahead that it’s fine, exactly as they did with DAS?
I think from a practical standpoint engines are a bit of a special case as it is. Mercedes are powering the most teams of anyone and the planning ahead for building it will have taken years, so in cost conscious era it’s a bit wasteful to force a redesign now.
Given they have shared all the info with the FIA it’s not quite the same thing as Ferrari’s fuel flow sensor trick which was not revealed and signed off on in advance.
Also, Mercedes might be slow as shit for all we know and it won’t matter anyway 🤷
So you should agree with my argument because before last year there was no condition in the rules that the compression ratio would be measured only at ambient temperature. That means Mercedes would have designed the engine with cheating in mind from the get go and only very late – too late for the competitors to react – would they have convinced the FIA to amend the rules. How is that fair?
I dunno man, how do you know how long they’ve been discussing it with the FIA? Maybe the same length of time.
I am hoping there isn’t some huge Mercedes speed advantage that interferes with the competition but also these kinds of tricks and loopholes are what the sport is and always has been about.
Clearly not long enough for the other manufacturers to adapt their designs.
You’re about 5 years late to realizing FIA has no integrity…
Reiterating it is not the same as realizing it now.