Fred Vasseur isn’t holding back; he’s called the whole mess around the 2026 F1 engine rules "embarrassing", and he’s got a point. The season kicks off in just two weeks, and teams are still arguing about what counts as legal under the current regulations.

After the F1 Commission met on Wednesday, the FIA said teams would vote on a proposal to tighten up tests on fuel compression ratios. Mercedes got singled out for allegedly pushing past the 16:1 limit. Word is, their engineers at Brixworth spotted a loophole and squeezed out extra power, and the usual checks can’t catch it.

Honestly, teams should be focused on their cars and drivers now, not caught up in policing what everyone else is doing. This isn’t what anyone wants to spend their time on.

Under the new rule, fuel compression ratios would get checked when the engine’s actually running hot, not just at room temperature. But here’s the kicker: the new test wouldn’t take effect until August. That gives Mercedes a pretty generous window to sort themselves out.

Vasseur, talking to AutoHebdo, didn’t mince words about the FIA’s handling of the situation. According to him, Mercedes got the green light from officials before everything blew up. Then Red Bull apparently leaked Mercedes’ trick to the other teams, and suddenly, the rest of the engine manufacturers were united in pushing the FIA to clamp down.

Wednesday’s meeting helped a bit, but with just 15 days before practice starts in Melbourne, there’s still no clear answer. Ferrari even says they gave the FIA a technical fix months ago.

Vasseur said, “There are two weeks to go until the start of the world championship, and we’re still asking for clarification on the regulations. It’s quite embarrassing. We need a quick resolution. Showing up to the first race with everyone interpreting the rules differently would mean big differences in performance. That’s not good for the sport.”

He added, “Honestly, it’s easier to lower the compression ratio than to ask the others to raise theirs. There are technical solutions, but we’ve been talking about them for months, and here we are two weeks from the first GP, still looking for answers.”

The FIA definitely doesn’t want Mercedes running away with the championship thanks to this grey area. Teams like Ferrari could end up at a power disadvantage for the first 13 races. Trying to copy Mercedes now would be expensive and probably pointless.

Auto Motor und Sport reports that F1 bosses are determined to keep Mercedes from dominating with this engine, but it wouldn’t be fair to force them to overhaul everything before Australia.

Once the FIA told Mercedes their engine was legal, this whole situation was pretty much inevitable.

The good news? A protest in Melbourne seems unlikely now, even if nobody’s really thrilled about the compromise that’s coming.

The McLaren driver didn’t hide how he felt about these new cars. He said they’re “certainly not the purest form of racing,” and he’s pretty much on the same page as Verstappen.

“I agree with Max on a lot of his points,” he said. “Honestly, most of them. But look, that doesn’t mean I’m not having fun out there. There are two sides to this.

“I get where the other drivers are coming from, too. They’ve all made their feelings pretty clear. I just didn’t want to show up at the first race and start complaining in front of everyone. I’d rather just enjoy myself and speak up when it feels right.

“Last week, I had a good time. I’m still enjoying it now. But let’s be real, everyone knows FIA, Formula 1, the whole championship, we’re all trying to make these cars better, because right now, this isn’t the purest racing. That’s what Formula 1 should be.

“So much of the driving now is just about getting the battery to work right, not about how much you can squeeze out of the car as a driver.”

Max Verstappen’s biggest complaint? The new cars force drivers to do way more energy management.

Here’s the thing: the electric part of the engine gives three times more power now, nearly half the total. But the batteries haven’t really changed. Because of that, drivers end up doing stuff that feels weird. They can’t just blast out of a corner before a quali lap. They’re lifting off the throttle and coasting down straights, even during qualifying. Sometimes they back off before the end of a lap, just to make sure they’re using energy as efficiently as possible and getting the best lap time.

All this has sparked a lot of behind-the-scenes talk about changing the rules, now or later. The engine regulations are already a headache, thanks to how these power units work. And this energy management stuff? It’s just making things messier.