Here we are and here we go: the status quo will remain as the 2026 Formula 1 season gets under way. Mercedes and Red Bull Powertrains will be able to race with power units which are understood to employ clever metallurgy to increase the compression ratio of the internal combustion engine beyond the permitted 16:1.
The issue has been the matter of great intrigue since before news leaked out to the wider world in December. As part of the natural process of staff being poached from rival manufacturers, word got around that two of them had found a means of circumventing the intent of this detail in the 2026 power unit regulations: the wording stipulates that the compression ratio of 16:1 (lower than the previous maximum of 18:1) would be policed via measurements taken when the engines were 'cold'.
