Max Verstappen cops fresh blow as FIA clamp down on sneaky engine trick
Max Verstappen's tough start to the 2026 F1 season has copped another blow, after the FIA announced it would clamp down on a sneaky qualifying trick his Red Bull team had been using.
After the Japanese Grand Prix, the FIA found Red Bull and Mercedes had been exploiting a loophole in the regulations around the deployment of electrical power.
In a nutshell, the regulations mandate a gradual drop off in the deployment of electrical power as a car travels down the straight.
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A separate rule allows teams to shut down the MGU-K – an element of the electric motor – to protect it from damage in the event of a technical issue.
The FIA have announced a clamp-down on a sneaky engine trick Max Verstappen's Red Bull team had been using. NurPhoto via Getty Images
What Red Bull, Mercedes and at least one other Mercedes-powered teams were doing, was deploying the MGU-K at full beans between the exit of the final corner to the finish line, rather than reducing power as required.
They would then shut down the MGU-K, under the guise it had suffered some kind of issue that had caused it to deploy all its power.
The rules also mandate a 60-second lockout after the MGU-K had been shut down before it could be rebooted. Such a lockout would be crippling during a race, but not in qualifying where drivers can cruise slowly back to the pits after setting a lap time.
Mercedes were also using the trick. Getty
In Suzuka, Verstappen and championship leader Kimi Antonelli were both spotted driving very slowly back to the pits after setting qualifying laps. The Williams of Alex Albon stopped in the first sector during practice after the car encountered a genuine issue after he tried the same trick.
The loophole was first noticed at the season-opener in Melbourne, where there is a long run between the last corner and the start-finish line. It was not used in China, where the run is shorter. The run is also shorter in Suzuka, but the trick was deployed because the last proper corner is a slow chicane.
It's believed Ferrari raised safety concerns with the FIA after the race in Japan, which prompted a technical directive from the FIA that made it clear the trick should only be used in "emergency situations".
It's the second clever Red Bull and Mercedes trick the FIA has scrubbed this season.
In preparation for the new power unit regulations, Red Bull Power Trains – a technical alliance with Ford – and Mercedes both found a loophole that would allow more air into the engine, and therefore an increase in power.
The regulations state the compression ratio – the air-fuel mixture at combustion – cannot exceed 16:1. Crucially, the regulations stipulated that measurement be taken at ambient air temperature.
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Verstappen on track at Suzuka. NurPhoto via Getty Images
Both teams managed to game the engines in such a way that when the engine was hot, the compression ratio would increase to 18:1, resulting in a power boost some estimated to be up to 15 horsepower.
As a result, the FIA changed the regulation, stipulating the measurement would now be taken when the engine is at 130C – about working temperature. It will come into effect for the Monaco Grand Prix in June.
Verstappen is ninth in the championship with only 12 points, 60 back from Antonelli. His best result was sixth at the Australian Grand Prix.
The next F1 race on the calendar is the Miami Grand Prix on May 4 (AEST).
