The Cold Compression Loophole

Formula 1 is about rules… until someone finds the silence between them.”

For 2026, the FIA capped compression ratio at 16. No exceptions. No excuses.

Compression ratio decides how hard the engine squeezes before the explosion — and harder squeeze

usually means more speed But the engine is only measured cold —

quiet, lifeless, inside the garage. When it heats up at full race speed…

metal expands. Compression rises. Power appears. Insiders whisper two names —

Mercedes and Red Bull. Just two-tenths per lap… enough to rewrite

a championship. The FIA knows. But fixing it now could break engines… and budgets and