Mercedes should not be penalized for the incompetence of other F1 teams

Before a single mile has been driven in the upcoming 2026 season, the F1 world has already been turned upside down. This time it’s a smart invention by Mercedes, which Red Bull is said to have adopted as well. Both teams have found a way to increase the compression ratio.

Manufacturers are said to be doing this because the compression ratio is only measured when the engine is not at full operating temperature at the time of running on track. It is said that engines have parts that expand once the engine is warm, pushing the piston closer to the top of the cylinder than when it is cold.

This increases the compression ratio, delivers extra performance and lowers fuel consumption. Clever, you would think, because nowhere in the technical regulations does it say this method isn’t allowed. This is likely because the FIA never considered it.

The fact that Toto Wolff’s Mercedes ultimately found a major loophole is something to be praised. This is what Formula 1 is all about: with the rulebook in hand, searching for solutions that leave friends and foes astonished.

Where such ingenious discoveries were applauded in the past, a different dynamic prevails nowadays. Teams that haven’t done as good a job as Mercedes start whining and complaining to the headmaster. To keep the peace, a compromise will soon be reached—at least, that much can already be predicted.

Formula 1 would be far better if the teams that are currently complaining instead went looking for their own ways to find performance. That is, and remains, the core of this sport—not the losers’ cries.

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