Nov.22 (GMM) The FIA says the confusion raised by McLaren over Max Verstappen’s fresh engine in Brazil will no longer exist once the new 2026 power-unit cost cap comes into force.
After Red Bull fitted a brand-new power unit to Verstappen’s car at Interlagos – widely seen as a straight performance choice – McLaren quietly queried whether such a move should count inside or outside the financial regulations.
Because under today’s rules, there is no power-unit cost cap. That means a works team can absorb the cost of another engine, while a customer team must pay for each one.
That disparity triggered McLaren’s concern.
In Las Vegas, the FIA’s Single-Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis admitted the current framework is flawed.
“We think it’s a weakness in the current regulations,” Tombazis said.
“We don’t want to be in arguments with teams about whether an engine change is reliability-related or strategic. In that grey zone, we simply don’t have the expertise to judge it.”
Because of that, the FIA has effectively accepted such engine changes without policing their financial impact – which is why Red Bull’s Interlagos move was allowed basically unquestioned.
But Tombazis says that loophole closes next year.
“With the PU cost cap arriving in 2026, this issue is resolved. Manufacturers will never find it convenient to make a strategic change, because each time it will cost them roughly the price of an engine. That becomes a natural deterrent.”
“So this stops being a topic of discussion.”
In Vegas, Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan dismissed suggestions the Interlagos switch was improper. “What we did is fine,” he said.
“Others have already done it under the current engine regulations.”
On whether the change should count toward the cost cap, he added: “I’m not a financial expert. But I believe there won’t be a penalty for us. That’s just my understanding.”
McLaren’s technical director Neil Houldey stressed their frustration lies in the structural inequity. “We don’t have a partner willing to give us engines for free,” he said.
“Factory teams can take advantage of that. We’re in a different position. Factory teams have always had an advantage on the engine side. I don’t think that will change.
“But financially, next year will be easier.”
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