F1 warned over 'dangerous' situation if 2026 loophole found

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has stated it would be “dangerous” for F1 if there is an obvious loophole in the regulations waiting to be exploited.

The grid is facing a major reset this year as a major overhaul is inflicted on both the aerodynamic and power unit rules.

In the past, such dramatic rule changes have resulted in one team pulling away from the pack due to discovering a loophole in the regulations that was missed by the competition.

With 11 teams now searching for every millisecond of performance ahead of the first pre-season test, the search is on to discover a development route undetected by rival teams.

Although the FIA has worked to ensure it has closed up loopholes ahead of the sport's new era, Vasseur highlighted the mammoth scale of the challenge when facing off against 11 teams.

“Teams have grown up massively over the last year, and it means that we have more and more people trying to find loopholes,” Vasseur told select media including RacingNews365.

“But I think we have also to put ourselves on the FIA's side. I think it's also a huge challenge for them to not arrive in Australia or in Bahrain and to have someone exploiting a loophole into the regulation.”

Should one team pull away from the rest of the pack at the start of the season, Vasseur suggested it could create issues for F1 if the cause behind the surge in pace comes down to a loophole that went undiscovered by the governing body.

“If it's a good job on the regulations and someone is able to do a good car faster than the others, I think it's fair enough,” he added.

“But if it's a kind of loophole in the wording and so on, it's much more difficult for everybody - and much more dangerous for F1.

“It’s where the FIA, is a bit [of a] touchy point for them. Everybody understands the challenge.

“Everybody understands that the change of regulation is huge, and this can be the best season of the F1, or it can be a difficult one.

“But this is always true, we had a couple of times, even the last year, we had the example with the front wing with tricks on the car. It's borderline that can make a huge advantage for someone.”