Latest News About Fia Bans Mercedes Red Bull Trick

Here’s what’s happening now: FIA has moved to ban a qualifying trick used by Mercedes and Red Bull that exploited a component of the hybrid power unit. The change was implemented ahead of upcoming races and aims to close the loophole that teams had been using to gain extra pace in Q3.

Overview

• What changed: The governing body issued a technical directive clarifying that the MGU-K deactivation or “emergency mode” should only be used for genuine technical emergencies, not as a deliberate performance lever in qualifying. This effectively bars the prior practice from being used as a strategic advantage.[1][5][7]
• When it took effect: The directive was reported as applying to the next relevant event (with reports noting the Miami Grand Prix as a milestone for the rollout).[5][7]
• Why it happened: Ferrari formally raised safety and fairness concerns about the practice, prompting regulators to tighten rules and telemetered checks to ensure compliance going forward.[7][1][5]

Context and reactions

• Multiple outlets and videos have summarized the situation as a mid-season rule clarification or ban to prevent exploits that could jeopardize safety or parity on track.[2][6][1]
• Some coverage frames it as a significant strategic setback for Mercedes and Red Bull, given the perceived advantage they had gained from the prior approach.[6][2]

Key takeaways for fans and teams

• The specific trick is no longer allowed; teams must rely on standard power management without using the emergency mode as an on-demand performance booster in qualifying.[5][7]
• Expect closer competition and a possible reshaping of qualifying dynamics at races following the directive’s implementation.[9][1]

If you’d like, I can pull a concise set of sources with direct quotes from the FIA directive and summarize where the rule applies for each upcoming event, plus a short timeline of the reported announcements. I can also provide a quick, current-season chart of how qualifying times compared before and after the ban, if you’re interested.