The saga surrounding the compression ratio has come to an end. From June this year, the FIA will monitor the compression ratio not only when the engine is cold, but also when it is hot. The changes were introduced following complaints filed by Mercedes’ rival teams.
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| Photo: Sam Bloxham |
The FIA has amended the technical regulations concerning the compression ratio. Until now, the ratio was measured only when the engine was cold, but it will now also be measured at operating temperature — specifically when the engine is heated to 130 degrees Celsius. It had been speculated that the change would come into effect in August, but the FIA ultimately decided it would apply earlier, starting from June 1 of this year.
Mercedes was said to have exploited a loophole in the regulations that allowed them to increase the compression ratio from the prescribed 16:1 to 18:1, which reportedly provided a significant performance advantage. It is worth noting that this also affects teams using Mercedes power units — Williams, Alpine, and McLaren — meaning several teams could have benefited from this advantage, at least until the new rules come into force.
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Formula 1