Mercedes’ clever move is now banned from F1 before the Monaco Grand Prix
Mercedes have been told they can no longer use a clever loophole in the rules at the Monaco Grand Prix.
We’re now five races into the 2026 Formula One season, and Mercedes have been the top team so far. They’ve won every race, with their star driver Kimi Antonelli winning four times and his teammate George Russell winning once.
Right now, Mercedes lead the Constructors’ Championship with 219 points, 72 points ahead of second-place Ferrari, who have also started the season strong.
But things might change at Monaco. This will be the first race with new technical rules that close the loophole Mercedes found.
Before the season began, Mercedes discovered a way to get around the engine compression ratio limit of 16:1. The rules only checked this ratio when the engine was cool during certain tests, so Mercedes made their engine obey the limit when cold but run hotter with a higher ratio during the race to get more power.
After other teams complained, the FIA (the sport’s governing body) decided to change the rules starting June 1. Now, the compression ratio will be checked when the engine is at 130 degrees, making Mercedes’ trick no longer possible. This change was supposed to start in August but has been moved up to the Monaco race this weekend.
No one knows yet how much this will affect Mercedes’ strong performance, but it could have a big impact in the coming races.
Antonelli himself said before Monaco that Mercedes might not be the favorite anymore. “I think Ferrari will be the team to beat in Monaco. It will be very interesting to see how we do there, but Ferrari is definitely the favorite,” he said.
He also pointed out that Ferrari’s own improvements in pre-season, like a new winglet giving them more downforce at low speeds, will help them too. Still, Antonelli is determined to do his best to get a great result.