F1 teams unanimously approved FIA compression ratio test changes

The start of the 2026 Formula 1 season is sure to be chaotic to the point that Mercedes’ alleged exploitation of loopholes in the engine compression ratio regulations might not even matter at first. They might be so far ahead that the bump in horsepower doesn’t even account for it completely. They might be beaten so badly off the line by Ferrari’s low turbo lag that they can’t catch up.

Either way, the FIA has moved to end the saga that dominated preseason headlines by updating the testing regime to measure compression ratio at both cold and hot temperatures, and they’ve moved up the timeline for doing so to June 1.

The teams have unanimously approved the measure. Many of them said as the saga bubbled along that they didn’t care if it was decided one way or the other, they just wanted clarity on what was and was not legal. Now they’ll get it, and we’ll see if Mercedes can get their stuff into the window in time, but they seem to believe they can — if it was ever over the line in the first place.