FIA Set to Ban 2026 Engine Loophole in Major Blow to Mercedes and Red Bull

Mercedes and Red Bull may be forced to make a major change to their 2026 Formula One cars if the FIA ban their clever regulations loophole.

With several Formula One teams starting to show off their brand new cars, excitement for the 2026 season is beginning to build ahead of the opening race on March 8 in Melbourne.

The 2026 season will see a host of new changes brought into the sport, with the introduction of a new set of regulations and an 11th team, Cadillac, joining the grid.

Initial testing for all teams is set to take place from January 26-30 behind closed doors in Barcelona, with reports suggesting that Red Bull and Mercedes have the strongest cars thanks to them finding a loophole in the new regulations.

However, a new report has claimed that both teams could be in trouble as Formula One's governing body could yet decide to ban the loophole and force them to make some last-minute changes.

George Russell has been tipped to win the 2026 title thanks to Mercedes rumoured car. (Image: Mark Sutton - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

It is no surprise that with new regulations coming in, at least one F1 team has found a clever way to make the most of them in order to optimise the speed of their cars.

In 2026, Red Bull and Mercedes have reportedly done this by cleverly dodging a new regulation relating to the ratio between the largest and smallest volume in the cylinder of the engine.

It has been claimed that both team's engines only comply with this limit during specific static tests at ambient temperature, which is how the FIA check the cars are legal, but that they could actually achieve a higher ratio while running at higher temperatures.

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But journalist Julianne Cerasoli thinks that the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) may look to stop teams from doing this by introducing a ban at some point this season.

When asked if the trick would be banned, she said on her YouTube channel: “Look, I believe so. I believe that this is the kind of solution that Formula 1 will find. Some people asked: ‘Isn’t it unfair?’ No, it’s not unfair.

“It’s what happened, it’s the pure essence of Formula 1. The FIA have already given me a hint, saying: ‘Look, someone read something in the regulations that wasn’t what we wrote.’

“Why do I say that the environment is such that this will be banned over time? I don’t know when, but they come to some kind of agreement, because absolute dominance is very bad commercially for Formula 1.

“Today, there is this notion that: ‘OK, I want to win, but I want everyone else to win, because if everyone wins, my piece of the pie will get even bigger. Let’s increase the pie for everyone, because my piece of the pie will get bigger if that happens.”

Red Bull unveiled their 2026 car on stage in Detroit. Image credit: Getty

Having a better compression ratio on the internal combustion engine could give Red Bull and Mercedes a significant edge over other teams.

Other manufacturers became aware of this fact and have reportedly raised concerns ahead of the season getting underway, but it remains to be seen when, or if, the FIA will take action.