Cadillac F1: Rivals united against Mercedes on engine saga
There is a "unanimous" view outside of Mercedes on the engine loophole, says Cadillac's Dan Towriss
The official F1 2026 pre-season gets underway on Wednesday in Bahrain, but already, the Mercedes power unit has become a talking point.
With rival manufacturers said to be pushing for a rule change ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, Dan Towriss, the Cadillac F1 CEO, claimed that “there’s unanimous views outside of Mercedes” about what the outcome should be, as talks continue with Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA.
Mercedes outgunned on F1 engine stand-off?
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust.
That is what the words of Towriss suggest, anyway.
Formula 1’s new 50/50 electric and biofuel engines became a hot topic when off-season reports claimed two power unit manufacturers were taking advantage of a loophole.
The reports pointed to Mercedes and Red Bull Powertrains Ford, alleging that the wording of the new regulations surrounding compression ratios had opened the door.
Since measurements would only be taken when the engine is cold, creating the potential for significant gains at track temperature, it was stated that Mercedes’ rival engine manufacturers are advocating for changes to the checks in place.
As confirmed to PlanetF1.com and others by Towriss, talks are ongoing with the FIA, with “unanimous views outside of Mercedes” having been reached.
Recent reports have suggested that the FIA could reach a decision on the fate of the Mercedes engine before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Towriss’ stance also lends credit to the talk that Red Bull had switched sides in the stand-off, leaving Mercedes fighting its own corner.
Towriss’ Cadillac team, which debuts in F1 2026, is to be powered by Ferrari, ahead of a planned future switch to an engine designed by General Motors.
“So, there’s obviously a lot of dialog amongst the power unit manufacturers,” said Towriss.
“I think there’s unanimous views outside of Mercedes as to what should happen.
“That will continue to take its course in dialog with the FIA, and we’ll see what happens.
“I think everybody agrees that we won’t see some of those advantages in ’27, and it remains to be seen how that’s going to be policed in ’26.”
More on Mercedes and the engine loophole saga
Mercedes rivals pushing for Australian GP rule change over F1 2026 engine loophole – report
New theory explains how F1 2026 compression ratio loophole could work
Mercedes will power four teams, including its own, in F1 2026.
In addition to the Mercedes works team, reigning double champions McLaren also will use the new Mercedes engine, as will Williams and Alpine.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown recently knocked back the idea that Mercedes-powered cars could be absent from the grid in Melbourne, should a change to the rules be made.
Brown brushed it off as “typical” Formula 1 “politics”.
A supermajority would be required to kick-start the process for any such rule change, so four of the five engine manufacturers, plus FIA and Formula 1 support.
Towriss’ claims of a “unanimous” stance outside of Mercedes therefore, is significant.
Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.
You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!
Read next: Mercedes cars parked? Zak Brown responds to worst-case Australian GP scenario