This is why Ferrari was absent from 2026 regulations discussions

The reason Ferrari were not allowed to attend last year's 15 December F1 meeting on the 2026 engine regulations is now known. Ferrari had refused to sign the November agreement, which excluded the team for the meeting a month later.

Ferrari, according to Motorsport.com do not agree with the entry of Red Bull Powertrains by 2026. The Medium understands from the FIA that there is a very big gap between the teams that have already signed the 2026 deal (Red Bull Powertrains, Mercedes, Honda, Audi and Alpine/Renault) and Ferrari. The reason Ferrari did not sign in November is because the team does not agree with the preferred position Red Bull would take.

Trying to keep its positive image clean and not use its, historically amassed, veto power, Ferrari is speaking out against Red Bull Powertrains. Indeed, according to Ferrari, the Red Bull project cannot be seen as a new engine developer. After all, they have full access to all Honda's know-how currently. Red Bull refutes this by arguing that the PU rights are back with Honda without ever having been used by Red Bull.

If Red Bull Powertrains does indeed qualify as a new team, it will provide an advantage as new teams will have more time and freedom to test and invest. It immediately becomes a complicated case for new Ferrari team boss Frédéric Vasseur, who starts at the team on the 9th of January. Ferrari will try to avoid an even bigger fight by not using its veto, but the exclusion of the meetings is not a tenable situation for the racing team. Finally, it is also not entirely out of the question that Honda will not continue to work with Red Bull after 2026 anyway.