Formula 1 remains hot behind the scenes even without cars on the track, and Saturday, February 7, had two themes that directly impact the direction of the 2026 season: the controversy over the new power units and McLaren’s confidence in facing the new technical cycle.
On the political side, Red Bull surprised by changing its tone in the discussion about a possible loophole in the engine regulations, while at Woking, Oscar Piastri and Andrea Stella reinforced that the McLaren project cannot rely on “factory advantages,” but rather on continuous evolution to compete at the top.
The main twist of the day came from Red Bull. According to reports cited in the paddock, the team has begun to align itself with Audi, Ferrari, and Honda in the debate over how the compression ratio for the new V6 hybrids, which will have a 50/50 energy split between combustion and electric, should be measured. The controversy gained momentum after the interpretation that measuring compression at ambient temperature could open up margin for higher numbers when the engine is in a hotter condition. The change in posture drew attention because, in recent weeks, Red Bull had been publicly defending the legality of the path taken in its own project.
Still on the topic of engines, the scenario remains without an official outcome. There is a reading that, even with a majority among manufacturers pressing for adjustments, any change needs to go through the FIA and Formula One Management, and recent signs indicate that the entity has accepted the solution adopted by Mercedes, at least so far. Toto Wolff, in fact, again maintained that the project is in accordance with “how the regulations were written,” amidst the climate of irony and messages in the background.
At McLaren, Oscar Piastri addressed the idea that the team is at a disadvantage for not being a factory team. The Australian stated that there are benefits to being a factory team, especially with the new cycle and engine development, but highlighted the close relationship with Mercedes HPP and said that the initial problems seen in Barcelona were not related to the fact that McLaren is a customer team. For him, any difference lies more in the integration time of the project to the rules rather than in a “status” of supply.
In the same line of realism, Andrea Stella reinforced that the challenge of 2026 will require an even more aggressive pace of evolution. The message from the head of McLaren was clear: in a grid that starts from zero in many aspects, it’s not enough to keep up; it will be necessary to develop faster than the competitors to sustain the fight at the front throughout the year.
With a new regulation, engines at the center of the debate, and teams measuring their strength off the track, the weekend showed that 2026 has already begun, at least behind the scenes, and the dispute promises to be intense even before the first start.
