2026 Scuderia Ferrari HP F1 Team

[catent]

That seems fair, you can't redesign the engine overnight but you can't keep your advantage.

It is not the responsibility of the judge to figure out how the team should comply with the rules. If rules don't apply because they are inconvenient, then they are no rules but recommendations.

If the rules state when and under what circumstances the measurement is to be made, and at the same time, that this measurement is for the entire duration of the competition, everything is clear. Period.
There is no need to invent anything, just act according to the rules.

No, not everything is clear. Not at all.

Do you apply this same logic to Ferrari passing fuel flow measurement/compliance procedures in 2019? That the pre-session measurement process - which Ferrari passed, repeatedly - ensures rules compliance for the entirety of the subsequent competitive session?

How about flexible aero? Ferrari was alleged to be using a flexible underbody in 2022 and it was swiftly eradicated via a TD. Meanwhile, we didn't have alleged flexible aero - but rather clearly visible flexible aero on the front-wings of Mercedes and McLaren in 2024 and 2025 - and the FIA sat on their hands and dragged their feet for over a year before amending the static load tests.

McLaren's highly illegal rear-wing in Baku (and several prior races), too (which, to be fair, was immediately clamped down on, but candidly should've resulted in DQs, IMO - there was crystal clear, ironclad evidence of cheating by having the rear-wing DRS slot slightly open even when not activated).

Your claim - "If the rules state when and under what circumstances the measurement is to be made, and at the same time, that this measurement is for the entire duration of the competition, everything is clear. Period." - is completely disproven and contradicted by previous actions of the FIA. They have repeatedly shown a willingness to amend compliance tests to better align with the intent of the rules, and absolutely have refuted the notion that passing pre-session compliance checks entirely ensures legality during competition.

[nitrotech]

Fans of Ferrari, Red Bull, Audi and Honda should send warning letters to their favorite team, asking them vote an YES for the changes in testing procedure that FIA has presented in front of the manufacturers. So that FIA can change the regulations about testing and let Mercedes GET CAUGHT! No amount of allegations and forum pages filling is going change things, unless 4 out of 5 manufacturers vote an YES. It's in your own favorite team's control right now! 3 more days to go before e-vote closes. If your favorite team/manufacturer doesn't vote an YES, then you have no one but your own favorite team to blame if Mercedes walks away with wins and championships.

I'm worried that the 130 C test is pure smoke and mirrors and I'm pretty sure mercedes would pass it. As a matter of fact, most media called it a complete political victory by mercedes...I fear that if any team want to really face the problem it should be carried out of the FIA-F1 circus, raising the question to the TAS/CAS.

If the other manufacturers think 130C test isn't enough, they should have been working with FIA & F1 commission, as all the manufacturers are part of PU advisory committee, that has put forward the proposal of 130C, to revise it and suggest whatever is the right temperature at which the PUs need to be measured. I haven't heard any manufacturer having objected to the 130C proposal itself. Letting the rumors fly and their fans going berserk, is no way to bring sanity to the issue. Manufacturers need to take accountability of the situation and force FIA to rework the 130C proposal.

[aberracus]

Fans of Ferrari, Red Bull, Audi and Honda should send warning letters to their favorite team, asking them vote an YES for the changes in testing procedure that FIA has presented in front of the manufacturers. So that FIA can change the regulations about testing and let Mercedes GET CAUGHT! No amount of allegations and forum pages filling is going change things, unless 4 out of 5 manufacturers vote an YES. It's in your own favorite team's control right now! 3 more days to go before e-vote closes. If your favorite team/manufacturer doesn't vote an YES, then you have no one but your own favorite team to blame if Mercedes walks away with wins and championships.

I'm worried that the 130 C test is pure smoke and mirrors and I'm pretty sure mercedes would pass it. As a matter of fact, most media called it a complete political victory by mercedes...I fear that if any team want to really face the problem it should be carried out of the FIA-F1 circus, raising the question to the TAS/CAS.

This sounds true to me too, Smoke and Mirrors, let's hope Audi and Honda make a storm about it. Ferrari is adapting.

[upsidedowntoast]

The major difference I see with the Ferrari engine trick vs. the Mercedes engine trick is that Red Bull eventually did guess how Ferrari was doing it (if their letter asking "is it legal for me to send more fuel when the device isn't measuring?" is any indication). While they *hadn't* guessed the trick, though, Ferrari was allowed to keep all their points.

Whereas here...the truth is we still have no idea *how* Mercedes is doing what they're doing, only that it involves compression ratio at ambient conditions vs. operating conditions. We don't know if it's a special alloy, 3D printing techniques, a secondary chamber, or weird shapes.

So the other teams can only play whackamole with the testing procedure, until they hit something. Maybe 130C is enough to expose it, maybe it isn't -- we don't know.

[nitrotech]

The major difference I see with the Ferrari engine trick vs. the Mercedes engine trick is that Red Bull eventually did guess how Ferrari was doing it (if their letter asking "is it legal for me to send more fuel when the device isn't measuring?" is any indication). While they *hadn't* guessed the trick, though, Ferrari was allowed to keep all their points.

Whereas here...the truth is we still have no idea *how* Mercedes is doing what they're doing, only that it involves compression ratio at ambient conditions vs. operating conditions. We don't know if it's a special alloy, 3D printing techniques, a secondary chamber, or weird shapes.

So the other teams can only play whackamole with the testing procedure, until they hit something. Maybe 130C is enough to expose it, maybe it isn't -- we don't know.

It is an established matter that it was Mercedes that gave all the details to Red Bull in 2019. Red Bull had no way of figuring it out themselves. They took it to the finish line.

[upsidedowntoast]

The major difference I see with the Ferrari engine trick vs. the Mercedes engine trick is that Red Bull eventually did guess how Ferrari was doing it (if their letter asking "is it legal for me to send more fuel when the device isn't measuring?" is any indication). While they *hadn't* guessed the trick, though, Ferrari was allowed to keep all their points.

Whereas here...the truth is we still have no idea *how* Mercedes is doing what they're doing, only that it involves compression ratio at ambient conditions vs. operating conditions. We don't know if it's a special alloy, 3D printing techniques, a secondary chamber, or weird shapes.

So the other teams can only play whackamole with the testing procedure, until they hit something. Maybe 130C is enough to expose it, maybe it isn't -- we don't know.

It is an established matter that it was Mercedes that gave all the details to Red Bull in 2019. Red Bull had no way of figuring it out themselves. They took it to the finish line.

Sure, my point is that *somebody* figured Ferrari's out with enough detail that they were able to force action about it. Until we have definitive answers on how Mercedes is accomplishing their trick, we don't know how much the 130C hot measurement will actually impact them by.

[bluechris]

What is happening in the team thread? A ton of Mercedes fans try to cover Toto and we must say repeatedly what is happening not only now but all the latest years. Ferrari did this and Ferrari did that constantly without a single proof of everything, is there a mod here? Or everyone must be pissed and leave?

[hollus]

We'll repeat it for the Nth time: Team threads are not reserved for fans of said team. Anyone is allowed and welcome to comment respectfully and argue logically. This is the official forum policy.

Try too much fandom at your own risk, and try trolling at your own risk.

A certain amount of "different points of view" is an extremely healthy thing.

Superfans: tone down the spam and do not chase anyone away. No gatekeeping, thanks.
Haters: tone it very, very much down. No trashing, thanks.

Everyone in betteen: Welcome. We are here to discuss and hopefully learn, not to draw lines on the ground (although mods can do that sometimes).

[S D]

Regarding recharging of the batteries. What happens with respect to pit stops? Is the length of the pit lane sufficiently long to fully recharge the battery? If not, then would a driver on a short pit lane want to be revving the engine really high in neutral to gain additional charge then engage the gears. Pit stops are only 2-3 secs and possible shorter than last year due to smaller tires. How loud would it be for the fans if may cars pit at the same time with super high revving engines for the full duration of the pit lane?

[fourmula1]

It is not the responsibility of the judge to figure out how the team should comply with the rules. If rules don't apply because they are inconvenient, then they are no rules but recommendations.

If the rules state when and under what circumstances the measurement is to be made, and at the same time, that this measurement is for the entire duration of the competition, everything is clear. Period.
There is no need to invent anything, just act according to the rules.

No, not everything is clear. Not at all.

Do you apply this same logic to Ferrari passing fuel flow measurement/compliance procedures in 2019? That the pre-session measurement process - which Ferrari passed, repeatedly - ensures rules compliance for the entirety of the subsequent competitive session?

How about flexible aero? Ferrari was alleged to be using a flexible underbody in 2022 and it was swiftly eradicated via a TD. Meanwhile, we didn't have alleged flexible aero - but rather clearly visible flexible aero on the front-wings of Mercedes and McLaren in 2024 and 2025 - and the FIA sat on their hands and dragged their feet for over a year before amending the static load tests.

McLaren's highly illegal rear-wing in Baku (and several prior races), too (which, to be fair, was immediately clamped down on, but candidly should've resulted in DQs, IMO - there was crystal clear, ironclad evidence of cheating by having the rear-wing DRS slot slightly open even when not activated).

Your claim - "If the rules state when and under what circumstances the measurement is to be made, and at the same time, that this measurement is for the entire duration of the competition, everything is clear. Period." - is completely disproven and contradicted by previous actions of the FIA. They have repeatedly shown a willingness to amend compliance tests to better align with the intent of the rules, and absolutely have refuted the notion that passing pre-session compliance checks entirely ensures legality during competition.

Just to play devils advocate...and maybe try to 'reason' why they treat these things differently:

Ferrari fuel flow was not conforming, it was tricking the measurement method and device. A
The flexy wings were conforming to the measurement method and devices.
The MB engine CR conforms to the measurement method and devices.

Also we have to wait and see. Development is going to be steep. There is a ton of time to gain over the year. Let's not write off the season based on rumors and little knowledge of what is really going on. Forza.

[Badger]

The major difference I see with the Ferrari engine trick vs. the Mercedes engine trick is that Red Bull eventually did guess how Ferrari was doing it (if their letter asking "is it legal for me to send more fuel when the device isn't measuring?" is any indication). While they *hadn't* guessed the trick, though, Ferrari was allowed to keep all their points.

Whereas here...the truth is we still have no idea *how* Mercedes is doing what they're doing, only that it involves compression ratio at ambient conditions vs. operating conditions. We don't know if it's a special alloy, 3D printing techniques, a secondary chamber, or weird shapes.

So the other teams can only play whackamole with the testing procedure, until they hit something. Maybe 130C is enough to expose it, maybe it isn't -- we don't know.

If the FIA had been a bit smarter and quicker on their feet they could have solved the fuel flow issue much sooner without knowing the details of how it was done. It took them until the last race of 2019 to do a spot check on the Ferrari's declared fuel load (it was mandated to declare fuel load from a TD earlier in the season). Lo and behold, what did they find? Ferrari underdeclared their fuel load by 5 kg. Why would you do that? If you intend on burning 5 kg more fuel than your fuel flow sensor can read out of course.

With the compression ratio there are no obvious traces like that.

[aberracus]

the stopgap was on Austin GP, not the last race of the championship

[Luscion]

from article from AR https://autoracer.it/analisi-test-bahra ... melbourne/

• Again, they put Merc and Ferrari as the front runners with Mclaren and Red Bull behind. Merc is expected to have more in their engine but there's concerns from Toto about reliability as theyve went through a few engines during the test and had to run with a more conservative mapping.

• The fastest time Leclerc did on the last day of tests wasnt Ferrari's true pace, they say he had about 50kg of fuel onboard when he did it

[Badger]

from article from AR https://autoracer.it/analisi-test-bahra ... melbourne/

• Again, they put Merc and Ferrari as the front runners with Mclaren and Red Bull behind. Merc is expected to have more in their engine but there's concerns from Toto about reliability as theyve went through a few engines during the test and had to run with a more conservative mapping.

• The fastest time Leclerc did on the last day of tests wasnt Ferrari's true pace, they say he had about 50kg of fuel onboard when he did it

Sounds too good to be true. The time and the way the car behaved suggests a much lower fuel load. 50 kg in 2026 is 2/3 tank, that's too heavy for a quali sim, especially a final one.

In general I think that sandbagging is being exaggerated. It has validity when testing is right before the first race on the same track, but the last 3 times testing was on a different track (2025, 2022 Barcelona, 2020) testing times were either faster or about the same as qualifying. My bet, with the C3 tyre in Bahrain the final quali time will be in the same ballpark as Leclerc's 31.9s. Plus/minus 4 tenths let's say, so a 31.5s - 32.3s.

[bananapeel23]

from article from AR https://autoracer.it/analisi-test-bahra ... melbourne/

• Again, they put Merc and Ferrari as the front runners with Mclaren and Red Bull behind. Merc is expected to have more in their engine but there's concerns from Toto about reliability as theyve went through a few engines during the test and had to run with a more conservative mapping.

• The fastest time Leclerc did on the last day of tests wasnt Ferrari's true pace, they say he had about 50kg of fuel onboard when he did it

Sounds too good to be true. The time and the way the car behaved suggests a much lower fuel load. 50 kg in 2026 is 2/3 tank, that's too heavy for a quali sim, especially a final one.

In general I think that sandbagging is being exaggerated. It has validity when testing is right before the first race on the same track, but the last 3 times testing was on a different track (2025, 2022 Barcelona, 2020) testing times were either faster or about the same as qualifying. My bet, with the C3 tyre in Bahrain the final quali time will be in the same ballpark as Leclerc's 31.9s. Plus/minus 4 tenths let's say, so a 31.5s - 32.3s.

I guess there is an argument to be made that the incentives to sandbag are unusually high this year. Clearly the teams weren't sandbagging much at all in 2025, but 2026 is a clean sheet car with little to no carryover from 2025. Teams wouldn't want to show their hand too early unless their solutions can't be copied (like the Ferrari diffuser).