FIA defers engine clampdown after key meeting
Jan.23 (GMM) The much-anticipated FIA engine summit has come and gone – and for all the noise surrounding it, the immediate competitive picture for 2026 remains unchanged.
After Thursday’s meeting between the FIA and power-unit manufacturers, it is now clear that Mercedes and Red Bull-Ford will be free to race their engines in Melbourne without modification. No last-minute regulatory intervention is planned for the opening season of the new rules.
Instead, discussions focused on how the regulations – particularly the measurement of compression ratios under operating conditions – could be refined in the future, rather than rewritten for 2026. As a result, the threat of formal protests at the Australian GP remains alive, even if nothing has been settled in the short term.
Former F1 team owner and technical heavyweight Ross Brawn was relaxed about the controversy, drawing on his own experience from previous rule resets – notably the double diffuser scenario.
“As it is described to me, it seems like a clever interpretation of the rules,” Brawn said. “If there are new rules, there is always someone who interprets them smartly. It has been no different in the past.”
On the wave of political pressure and media speculation, he added pointedly: “For the other teams, attack is the best defense.”
From the FIA’s side, single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis sought to cool the situation, stressing that the issue has been overstated publicly.
“Of course, everyone is passionate and competitive, and when people are in that state, it creates a certain blindness to other arguments,” Tombazis said. “But I don’t think this is as big a topic as it’s currently being portrayed in the press. I believe we’ll be fine.”
Still, Tombazis acknowledged why rival manufacturers are uneasy. “We don’t want someone to win who had – if I may say – a clever interpretation,” he said. “We really want to avoid controversies and make sure everyone understands the rules in exactly the same way.”
In France, Frederic Ferret of L’Equipe suggested the meeting had done little to settle the situation.
“It seems that they have only succeeded in complicating matters,” the journalist wrote. “According to our information, a new measurement system should soon be implemented to measure the compression ratio when the engine is hot, but the timeline remains unclear.”
Ferret added that, in the meantime, the risk of a contentious season opener remains very real. “The spectre of a chaotic and contentious start to the season is looming,” he noted, pointing in particular to Aston Martin and Honda’s frustration with the current interpretation of the rules.
“It is easy to imagine that in Australia, one or more teams will lodge a protest, disrupting the smooth start to the season the sport had hoped for with these new regulations.”
Honda, whose engines will power Aston Martin from 2026, reiterated its preference for clarity. HRC president Koji Watanabe said: “There is a lot of room for interpretation, and that’s part of it. But it’s up to the FIA to determine what is permissible. We will always consult the FIA on regulatory matters.”
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