FIA Bans Cheeky Mercedes, Red Bull Racing Hack Used Till Japanese GP – Report

Last Updated:April 14, 2026, 19:39 IST

Mercedes and Red Bull exploited a clever F1 loophole for extra qualifying speed. But now, the FIA has stepped in and shut it down.

Red Bull Racing’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen (front) and Mercedes’ Italian driver Kimi Antonelli drive during the second practice session ahead of the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix (AFP)

Another day, yet another “how the hell did they even think of that?” moment in the new era of Formula 1.

And, surprise surprise, Toto Wolff’s Mercedes were right in the thick of it… joined this time by Red Bull Racing.

According to The Race, the FIA has now stepped in to ban a rather cheeky loophole both teams had been exploiting in qualifying to squeeze out extra performance.

So… What Was the Trick?

Bear with me, as I attempt to keep this as simple as possible.

In Formula 1, when cars deploy electric power through the MGU-K, they can’t just go full throttle and then slam it shut. There’s a regulation — the “ramp down” rule — that ensures power is reduced gradually as the battery depletes.

Typically, this happens in neat, predictable steps of around 50kW at a time over the course of a lap.

Think of it like walking down a staircase from the top floor to the ground. Controlled, steady, no shortcuts. Simple enough, right?

Now here’s where it gets interesting.

There’s a separate clause that says if the system shuts down due to an “emergency,” that ramp-down rule no longer applies.

Which, sticking with our analogy, means you’re suddenly allowed to skip the stairs altogether and jump straight from the top floor.

And that’s exactly where the lightbulb went off.

Both Mercedes and Red Bull found a way to simulate an “emergency shutdown” right at the very end of a qualifying lap, effectively bypassing the gradual power drop-off and holding full electrical deployment right up to the finish line.

The result? A tidy little 50–100kW boost exactly when it mattered most — down the final straights, where tenths/hundredths/thousandths of a second can make all the difference.

Why It Actually Worked

Now, you’d think faking a shutdown would backfire. Normally, it locks the system for 60 seconds, basically killing your performance.

But here’s the genius (and the mischief): they only used it at the very end of a lap, right before heading back to the pits.

Use the extra bit of energy to shave off a few hundredths or thousands of a second. Try to register your fastest lap, and then… There was no need for power on a cooldown lap anyway.

No downside. Just free speed and classic F1 marginal gains.

When It All Went Wrong

Of course, it was all fun and games until it wasn’t.

At the Japanese Grand Prix, things got messy when Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen were spotted crawling through Suzuka with no power during practice.

On top of that, Williams’ Alex Albon had to stop on track entirely due to engine failure during the race.

So, it doesn’t make for a pretty or safe picture when you have 21 other cars passing through at blistering speeds while you become a sitting duck.

FIA Steps In

Safety concerns, reportedly raised by Ferrari, forced the FIA’s hand, and now the rulebook has been tightened: emergency shutdowns are for actual emergencies, not qualifying party tricks.

The funnier (and sadder) side of this whole thing? Red Bull did all this only for Verstappen to be subjected to the rear of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly up ahead. Stay strong, Max.

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