Mercedes are reportedly understood to have exploited a grey area within Article C5.4.3 of the technical regulations, which states that the procedure used to verify the correct compression ratio of next year’s power unit “will be detailed by each PU Manufacturer according to the Guidance Document and executed at ambient temperature.”

Crucially, the article makes no reference to power units being assessed under any other operating conditions, effectively leaving teams room for manoeuvre and a more flexible interpretation of how the rule can be applied.

Speaking on F1news, Mazzola highlighted precisely this point: “In F1, if you’re Ferrari, if you’re Red Bull, if you’re McLaren, you have only one goal: to win. Whatever you need to win, you apply it — within the rules. This grey area is legal; it’s not illegal. If something is illegal, you get disqualified and make a fool of yourself. A grey area, by definition, is still a legal area. Credit to whoever manages to spot it and exploit it.

He finally added: “I’m not crying 'scandal' — quite the opposite. I say well done, if you’ve managed it. That’s the bottom line. Whether it’s Mercedes, Red Bull or Ferrari — credit to one, credit to the other, credit to all of them.”

Reports suggest Mercedes and Red Bull Racing could unlock an advantage of up to four tenths of a second per lap over their rivals through a clever cylinder-compression solution. The power unit has already been homologated, with the FIA ruling it compliant.

That would place both manufacturers in a commanding position even before the new cars are unveiled and hit the track for winter testing at Barcelona, while the rest of the grid waits to see how competitors respond.

The FIA has since confirmed that Mercedes’ innovation adheres fully to the technical regulations as written. It is therefore viewed as a legitimate exploitation of a regulatory grey area.