In recent hours, a rumour has emerged that, if confirmed, could already have a major impact on the competitive order heading into the 2026 season — a campaign that is set to reshuffle the deck anyway following one of the most far-reaching regulatory overhauls of recent years.

On Friday, it emerged that Mercedes and Red Bull Powertrains had come under scrutiny over a potential loophole in the compression-ratio regulations, which are set to shift from 18:1 to 16:1 next year.

The issue centres on the fact that compliance tests are carried out under static, cold-engine conditions, opening the door to exploiting thermal expansion once the power unit reaches operating temperatures — a development that could unlock extra performance and, in turn, valuable lap time.

In an interview given a few months ago, Tombazis stressed that the FIA was actively working to prevent teams from uncovering and exploiting regulatory loopholes to gain an advantage: “We have adopted a different approach compared to situations we have had in the past.”

The Greek engineer made it clear that if a team were to find a way around the regulations without consulting the governing body, the FIA would respond firmly and decisively, leaving little room for interpretation.

Red Bull, one of the teams suspected alongside Mercedes of having identified a potential regulatory loophole, is about to embark on what is arguably the biggest challenge in its Formula 1 history.

After two decades relying first on Renault and then Honda power units, the Milton Keynes-based outfit will, for the first time, produce a fully in-house car, with technical support from Ford on the power unit side.

It is a gamble Red Bull is hoping will pay off, with Max Verstappen's manager Raymond Vermeulen claiming he has already heard “good things” about next season’s power unit.