A technical dispute over the 2026 Formula 1 power-unit regulations erupted as reports said Mercedes and Red Bull Powertrains had found ways to run higher effective compression ratios on track while remaining compliant with static tests. The 2026 V6 hybrid rules specify a 16:1 compression ratio at ambient temperature, yet both manufacturers were reported to have configured units that registered about 18:1 in above-ambient conditions — a setup analysts estimated could be worth roughly 0.3 seconds per lap at Albert Park. Teams and technical bodies held an initial meeting and the Power Unit Advisory Committee was scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss possible next steps, but talks so far produced few concrete outcomes.

Christian Horner, who founded Red Bull Powertrains and helped develop the 2026 units, publicly rejected characterizations of the situation as outright cheating, telling Australia’s Today show that engineers naturally push the boundaries and that the dispute was about interpreting rules rather than deliberate rule-breaking. Horner dismissed claims that teams were “cheating like wildcats” and defended both Red Bull and Mercedes; he also described Toto Wolff’s blunt remark to unhappy OEMs — “get your s*** together” — as “a big statement.” Media reports noted suggestions that Red Bull might already be using, or could adopt, similar configurations; Red Bull denied such claims.

The regulatory debate prompted teams at a pre-Barcelona shakedown meeting to consider adding real-time fuel-compression measurement to prevent on-track circumvention, though that change was viewed as unlikely to be implemented during the 2026 season. With power-unit mappings still being finalized ahead of the opening rounds, the matter remained an ongoing technical and regulatory dispute between manufacturers, teams and the sport’s technical bodies as the season approached.