The debate over the alleged legality of Mercedes’ power unit for 2026 has entered a new chapter. According to reports, Ferrari is among the teams that have raised concerns with the FIA about the Mercedes engine’s fuel compression ratio. Former driver and F1 analyst Ralf Schumacher has reacted strongly and calls the Scuderia’s stance hypocritical.
The controversy centres on the maximum permitted fuel compression ratio, which the regulations set at 16:1. Mercedes is said to be able to exceed that limit on track, while the engine complies with all requirements in the FIA’s static tests. Because the current rules provide no conclusive method to prove this during a race weekend, the matter sits in a grey area of the regulations.
There is even speculation that Ferrari could lodge a formal protest after the season-opener in Australia. That suggestion provoked Ralf Schumacher. On the Sky-podcast ‘Backstage Boxengasse’ the German responded sharply.
‘Keep your mouth shut’
“I think Ferrari, of all teams, would do better to keep its mouth shut,” Schumacher said. “I remember well that in the past fuel also came from places it shouldn’t have come from.”
Schumacher explicitly referenced the engine controversy surrounding Ferrari in 2019. At the time rival teams suspected the Italian outfit of exceeding the maximum fuel flow. Ferrari that season was notably strong in a straight line and picked up victories in Belgium and Italy. After several technical directives from the FIA that advantage disappeared. Ultimately it resulted in a confidential settlement, because the FIA could not conclusively prove the engine was illegal.
According to Schumacher, exploiting loopholes in the rulebook is part of the sport. “If a rule is written so there’s room for interpretation, and someone is clever enough to exploit it and it stands up, then that’s a risk you take,” the German said. “The engineers at Mercedes will have weighed it up: this can work, but it can also go completely against us.”
Speculation
Inside the paddock there is speculation about how information on the alleged Mercedes solution leaked out. Initially it was suggested that Red Bull might be using a similar approach, but that team has flatly denied those allegations. It is known, however, that Red Bull Powertrains recruited large numbers of staff who previously worked at Mercedes in the run-up to the 2026 project.
Ferrari is reportedly aligning with Honda and Audi to push the FIA for tougher checks. The expectation, however, is that the motorsport federation will not tighten its testing procedures before 2027.
