FIA address 'cheating' claims as Mercedes engine saga nears end

The FIA has emphatically denied allegations of "cheating" were ever raised during meetings around the controversial Mercedes HPP F1 engine trick.

An e-vote of the Power Unit Advisory Committee (PUAC) is due to take place imminently to amend F1's technical regulations to measure the compression ratio of engines at both ambient temperatures and at a repres 130 degrees celsius, with this set to be introduced in August 2026.

It comes after a row erupted over the winter after Mercedes HPP developed a system to have a higher compression ratio of 18:1 than the prescribed 16:1 by the regulations through a loophole which stated it would only be measured at ambient temperatures and not whilst the engine was hot.

Ferrari, Audi, Honda, and Red Bull Powertrains are all seeking the change, with this being one half of the equation to form a supermajority on the PUAC to change the rules. Both the FIA and Formula One Management (FOM) would also be required to vote in favour. 

As technical regulator, it has been up to the FIA to broker a solution, with single-seater technical director Nikolas Tombazis explaining why "cheating" claims were never discussed through the "emotional" discussions. 

"There are a lot of nuances when discussing such a matter, because there is what the regulations intended, and to keep the compression ratio at 16:1 was one of the core objectives when the regulations were discussed with the PU manufacturers back in 2022, when they were finalised," Tombazis told media, including RacingNews365.

"There is also the topic of what is exactly written in the regulations, and it became obvious that what was written in the regulations, there could be ways that one team could have a higher ratio, and so in terms of discussion of somebody cheating or breaking the rules, that's never been a topic of discussion.

"There has been a lot of emotion on the topic, but I think it has never been the position of the FIA that somebody is doing something illegal. 

"It is unavoidable that with new regulations, there are going to be some areas where solutions are found which are beyond what the rules intended, so what we're trying to do with the E-Vote is close this topic and find a solution. 

"I don't think this topic ever needed to get to this level of attention. I'm not saying it is not important, but does it matter to cause all this excitement for many months? Frankly, no on that.

"We need to be even-handed, and we don't want to stifle innovation. 

"I am sure there will be people who are unhappy that we're not acting soon enough, and there will be people who are unhappy that we're not letting things be, and part of our job is to try to keep that balanced.

"People tend to remember when something isn't exactly as they please, and forget when something goes their way, and that creates a degree of high emotion."