Compression ratio, DAS, electrical power: because the gray areas are not all the same

2026 has already brought about several technical controversies, as was to be expected with what has been defined as the greatest revolution of the last thirty years. The particular exploitation of electric power in qualifying by the Mercedes and Red Bull engines, first reported by The Race and now banned by the FIA, adds to the case of the compression ratio. All this reignites the debate on the gray areas of the regulation, where the risk is that of treating very different situations in the same way. The three cases The most classic type of gray area is when a rule is susceptible to multiple interpretations, leading to findings that the legislators had not foreseen. These are scenarios in which the FIA ​​can do very little, having to recognize the legality of solutions which, technically, do not violate what is written in the regulation. A great example is the double diffuser of Brawn in 2009, as well as the DAS of Mercedes 2020, the result of a rule that did not specify that the steering wheel could not control multiple rotations of the front wheels. The recent crackdown on the exploitation of electric power in qualifying falls into the same category, which stems a practice that complied with all the required procedures, but which had a different purpose from the initial one. The disputes regarding those rules that provide for the direct measurement of a parameter are very different. In these cases it is legitimate to speak of illegality, as a clear maximum or minimum value is established on a physical quantity, as long as it is measurable in all conditions. The 2019 controversy over the flow meter is an example of this, as it was a practice that circumvented real-time control of fuel flow by exploiting the limitations of the sensor. Gongora/NurPhoto via Getty Images The third case, however, although it may appear similar to the previous one, stands out for a fundamental premise. In some situations, in fact, there is a limit on a physical quantity, which however varies depending on the conditions and therefore cannot be measured at all times. It is something that occurs cyclically with the flexibility of the wings, which the FIA ​​only has the opportunity to control in the pits. In these cases, it is precisely the static control that is valid, accepting that it cannot check the car when it is running on the track and therefore cannot impose a limit value unless the car is stationary. The case of the compression ratio The current debate on Mercedes engines falls into the latter case, as the compression ratio is difficult to measure when the power unit is in operation. As it is written today, the solution perfectly complies with the regulation, which provides that the compression ratio must be measured at room temperature. What is nebulous, if anything, is the process that led to the current situation. Photo by Clive Rose – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images It was only last October, in fact, that the FIA ​​made an addition to the regulations, specifying that the verification had to take place cold. In reality, there was already a document before, still in force and not accessible to the public, which described the procedure for measuring the compression ratio, but it is not known whether this also specified the reference temperature. If this were not the case, it would be a failure on the part of the FIA, as it is an ambiguous rule and as such subject to interpretation. The clarification then arrived in October, followed by another addition in December, which established that each engineer had to prepare his own measurement procedure respecting the guidelines of the previous document, and then request approval from the FIA ​​technical department. The episode leads to the question of what is an acceptable notice period for similar changes, a doubt also valid for the subsequent crackdown. In fact, in June, a second test will be introduced to be carried out at 130°C, but the competition doubts that this will have a tangible effect. Clive Mason/Getty Images The FIA’s mission This all comes in a year in which Nikolas Tombazis had promised a zero tolerance policy for anyone who exploited gray areas without first consulting the FIA. In the case of the compression ratio of Mercedes engines, however, the problem is that the ambiguity did not only concern what could or could not be done, but also the control procedure by the Federation. It is proof that, no matter how much one prepares, each technical controversy is different from the previous one and is the reason why the FIA ​​always finds itself forced to chase the teams.