The rumoured compression ratio engine loophole adopted by Red Bull and Mercedes has been dismissed as only a “clever interpretation” by Formula 1 Managing Director Ross Brawn.
F1’s latest era has already kicked off with drama as the revamped engine regulations have taken shape.
Paddock rumours, since late 2025, have suggested at least two engine manufacturers, namely Red Bull and Mercedes, have found a novel trick to eke out crucial performance over its rivals.
The loophole is to do with compression ratios. A nifty trick may have been discovered allowing them to achieve a higher compression ratio than stipulated in the rules.
In effect, the 2026 PU rulebook limits the compression ratio to 16:1 – two steps down from what was allowed in the turbo-hybrid era. However, this will be policed during technical inspections that cannot account for when a car is running on track.
The trick lies in the fact that the heat generated, while the cars are running on track, will allow the materials (specifically employed by Red Bull and Mercedes for its engine construction) to expand leading to a substantial increase in the compression ratio.
After the reports of this compression ratio trick filtered out, the other manufactures appealed to the FIA. This forced the governing body’s hand into convening a special pre-season meeting with the teams on the 22nd of January.
In fact, Audi even claimed that it would “never accept” the FIA allowing any rival to gain an unfair advantage.
Ross Brawn responds to Audi F1 engine exploit remarks over Mercedes/Red Bull
Brawn, however, believes that every rule change has seen “clever” interpretation of the rules.
And while the Briton has not made any decisive comments about the veracity of the claims made by the other engine manufacturers, he believes the hue and cry is nothing but a competitive tactic.
“Well, as it’s been described to me, it just sounds like a clever interpretation of the regulation,” he told Sky Sports.
“I don’t know enough about it anymore, but I think whenever new regulations come in, as we’ve seen in the past, always someone takes a clever interpretation. That’s what’s happened.
“Of course, for the other teams, the best form of defence is attack. That’s what they’re doing.”
READ MORE – Why Gabriel Bortoleto was ‘ready to go back’ just five days into F1 winter break
Discussion about this post