A new installment on the compression ratio
As widely reported during last week, the FIA had called for an online vote for the PUAC – the engine manufacturers’ committee where the Federation and FOM are also present – to modify article 4.3 of the technical regulations and introduce from next August 1st a measurement at 130° of the compression ratio of the power units, in addition to the one at ambient temperature already present in the regulations.
In the crosshairs are the Mercedes engines, which would manage to increase the 16:1 compression ratio in operation and obtain a significant advantage in terms of horsepower and tenths of a second.
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The twist
The publication Motorsport Magazin, which was the first to report what was happening regarding the compression ratio, revealed today that the online vote will no longer be necessary, because a compromise has been reached between the parties.
A sort of plan has been drawn up: the hot measurement (which will therefore accompany the ambient temperature one) will be introduced from June 1st, two months earlier than previously proposed and after 7 GPs; while for 2027 it will change further: the compression ratio measurement will be carried out only when hot.
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Was Wolff right?
What could happen aligns with the fears expressed by Toto Wolff during the Bahrain tests, who had highlighted how Mercedes’ rival engine manufacturers were looking for a countermove to bring the solution to their advantage: “The goal of the other engine manufacturers was to have it measured only when hot, so that when cold they could go beyond the regulations“. Apparently, therefore, the exclusively hot measurement from 2027 can be considered a political victory for Audi, Ferrari, Honda and Red Bull.
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