F1: we know when the meeting between engine manufacturers and the FIA will take place. Ferrari, Honda and Audi keep up the pressure on the Mercedes engine

While the Formula 1 as the FIA prepares to enter the most radical regulatory era in its recent history, the battle over the 2026 engines has reached a new breaking point. After several weeks of tension, official letters and increasingly firm positions, a date has now been set: the engine manufacturers and the FIA will meet on January 22 to attempt to settle the explosive issue of the Mercedes engine.

Controversy continues despite initial green light

Since the revelation of the technical trick linked to the compression ratio, the paddock has been living to the rhythm of a hushed but decisive confrontation. By exploiting the way in which the FIA controls the compression ratio, measured when the engine is cold, Mercedes is said to have developed a power unit capable of exceeding the regulatory limit of 16:1 once in operating conditions. An interpretation initially validated by the FIA, but which continues to send shockwaves through the competition. According to Corriere dello Sport, the FIA was fully aware of the project led by the team headed by Toto Wolff, and had initially given its approval to this solution. A green light which, at the time, seemed to put an end to the debate. But this was not to be.

Ferrari, Audi and Honda refuse to accept the status quo

The reception ofa joint letter from Ferrari, Audi and Honda has profoundly changed the situation. The three engine manufacturers contest not only the legality of the solution, but above all its compliance with the spirit of the regulations. In their view, allowing an engine to be legal at a standstill but different on the track amounts to institutionalizing a major regulatory loophole. Faced with this growing pressure, the FIA is said to have considered a compromise: authorizing this interpretation only for the 2026 season, while opening the door to a regulatory change during the championship.

Two clear camps... and Red Bull in the background

The divide is now clear. On the one hand, Mercedes and its customer teams (McLaren, Williams and Alpine), who benefit directly from this reading of the regulations. On the other, Ferrari, Audi and Honda, accompanied by their associated structures, Haas, Cadillac and Aston Martin, are determined to prevent the 2026 season from being folded before it has even begun. In this electric climate, Red Bull Racing is adopting a more discreet stance. According to the Italian press, the Milton Keynes-based group has not yet succeeded in replicating the Mercedes solution, and has no intention of engaging in open political warfare.

A high-voltage meeting on January 22

It is against this backdrop that the date of January 22 has been set for a decisive summit between the FIA and all the engine manufacturers. The aim is clear: to break the deadlock before winter testing definitively launches the 2026 season. According to Corriere dello Sport, Ferrari, Honda and Audi will explicitly request that this engine be banned as early as possible in the season, if the FIA refuses to review its interpretation immediately. The possibility of a regulatory change during the championship is now officially on the table. The 2026 championship hasn't even begun yet, but its first major confrontation is already being played out... around a table, on January 22.