Ross Brawn downplays F1 2026 engine loophole claims as smart rule interpretation
Ross Brawn retired from F1 in 2022 after four decades in the sport.
Former Ferrari, Mercedes and Brawn boss, Ross Brawn, has responded to reports surrounding F1 2026 power units, describing them as “a clever interpretation of the regulation.”
The FIA met with key team members on Thursday (January 22) to discuss the new power unit and chassis regulations, with reported allegations that one or two manufacturers had exceeded the 16:1 compression ratio for its pistons, which could give a boost in power.
Brawn: Power unit rumours ‘sound like a clever interpretation of the regulation’
Compression ratios are the ratio between the maximum and minimum volume in a piston during the compression stage of a power cycle, and while standard road cars tend to have compression ratios between 8:1 and 12:1, F1 2026 cars have a permitted maximum of 16:1 as per the new power unit regulations, a reduction from 18:1 in the previous ruleset.
Reports emerged in late 2025 that one or two power unit manufacturers had spotted a regulatory grey area, and had been able to find a way to achieve this ratio at ambient temperatures but run at a higher compression ratio while on track, when the power unit is hotter and thermal expansion takes place.
One of the manufacturers to potentially find this grey area is rumoured to be Red Bull-Ford, though Red Bull Powertrains technical director, Ben Hodgkinson, dismissed these concerns as “a lot of noise about nothing”, adding the team’s first power unit with Ford had a compression ratio “way too low” to be a legality concern.
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Brawn, who enjoyed dominant title success in his spell at Ferrari alongside the unlikeliest of championship success with his eponymous Brawn GP team in 2009 – when the team took advantage of that season’s regulation changes with an innovative double diffuser solution – admitted that, while his knowledge of the new regulations is not as high as it once was, his understanding is the ‘loophole’ is simply a clever interpretation.
He added that it’s also normal for rivals who’ve perhaps not spotted the loophole to find a way to curb what they perceive to be an unfair advantage.
“Well, as it’s been described to me, it just sounds like a clever interpretation of the regulation,” Brawn said to Sky Sports News.
“I don’t know enough about it anymore, but I think whenever new regulations come in, as we’ve seen in the past, always someone takes a clever interpretation. That’s what’s happened.
“Of course, for the other teams, the best form of defence is attack. That’s what they’re doing.”
Results of the FIA’s meeting from Thursday are yet to be disclosed, but the governing body confirmed to PlanetF1.com that it was of a technical nature.
“As is customary with the introduction of new regulations, discussions on the 2026 iteration covering power unit and chassis are ongoing,” said an FIA spokesperson.
“The meeting planned for 22 January is between technical experts.
“As always, the FIA assesses the situation in order to make sure the Regulations are understood and applied in the same manner between all the participants.”
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