FIA - Photo: RacePictures

'FIA to hold second meeting with technical experts over engine loophole debate'

18:59, 01 Feb

byTobia Elia

The FIA will reportedly hold a second early-week meeting with technical experts, with the engine compression ratio debate set to be put on the table ahead of PUAC.

According to The Race, the meeting is scheduled for Monday — following an initial one held on January 22 that was less about the current interpretation and more about might need to be amended for the future — with the focus now shifting to establishing a clear methodology for testing compression ratios when power units are running at operating temperatures rather than in cold, static conditions.

The grey-area controversy stems from the fact that checks on the compression ratio — which will drop from 18:1 to 16:1 from 2026 — are carried out in static conditions, echoing last year’s flexi-wing debate, rather than with the engines running hot.

The Monday meeting will be followed on Thursday by a meeting of Formula 1’s Power Unit Advisory Committee (PUAC), scheduled just days before the opening Bahrain test. The outcome of that session could mark the first tangible steps towards defining how the matter will be addressed in the upcoming future.

Photo: Race Pictures

Ferrari not giving up power unit battle against Mercedes and Red Bull

The teams have held talks with the FIA in recent weeks to evaluate whether the engine regulations require refinement, including possible adjustments to the way the compression ratio is assessed.

For the time being, however, nothing will change. As things stand, Mercedes and Red Bull Ford are understood to hold an advantage in power-unit performance — a point Ferrari continues to dispute. Speaking to GPblog and other media, Enrico Gualtieri confirmed that discussions with the FIA remain ongoing and made clear that Ferrari has no intention of dropping the matter.

Read the full story here.

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