Aston Martin, Honda relying on FIA to handle the compression ratio matter after reports of loophole being extracted by couple of F1 power unit manufacturers.
In a relatively quiet small winter period to prepare for F1 2026 change, reports started to flood about couple of power unit manufacturers utilising a loophole left by the FIA regulations. It related to compression ratio, where teams are asked to adhere to the 16:1 ratio.
But reports links Mercedes and Red Bull Powertrains/Ford to be able to use the compression ratio of the old i.e 18:1 by using materials which when the car is not running, it adheres to the current change. The FIA knows the situation and behind the scenes, there is movement to address the issue.
Aston Martin and Honda team personnel have joined the chorus to push the FIA to address the loophole and deny any undue advantage that Mercedes and Red Bull have managed to extract. They have put their faith on the governing body, while noting that the interpretation game is always a thing.
In fact, Honda has shown its own interpretation to the FIA to get a clearance before using it on their power unit. “This year, as far as the new regulations, the interpretation of the regulation and the operations for it – so not just on this but also there are a lot of factors that need to come in discussion,” said Honda Racing chief Koji Watanabe. “There’s more to it.
“So we would like to keep them aside for now, but then we want to make it clear that we want to meet and comply to the regulations, as we developed in any other…regulations do not have everything listed very clearly, bit-by-bit. So in the new regulations, we look into the possibility of the new technology for each of the different power units.
“There is a lot of room for interpretation as well, and this is also part of the race. So for the FIA, it’s up to them to decide on whether it’s good or bad, so they have to take on it. For Honda, we have a lot of different ideas, and we would like to discuss with the FIA to understand if our ideas are accepted or are not okay. So I think that’s how we’re going to proceed. So we would always look to the FIA to consult them on regulation related matters,” summed up Watanabe.
From Aston Martin side, Andy Cowell – who is familiar with Mercedes – agreed that every competitor goes to the limit of the rules. But it is FIA’s duty to close off all the loopholes. “The topic of compression ratio, there’s always a topic that bubbles up when new regulations come into place,” he said. “And every competitor reads the regulations and pushes performance to the limit.
“Compression ratio is clearly a key thermal efficiency enabling aspect of an internal combustion engine, so you always push it to the limit. So I’m sure every single power unit manufacturer is doing that. And as mentioned, the FIA have the job to make sure that everybody interprets the regulations in a fair and equal way, which is what’s ongoing at the moment.”
Here’s launch of Honda power unit
Here’s Andy Cowell on performance gaps
