Here is the thing about Formula 1: the battle for supremacy does not stop when the cars leave the track. According to Crash.net, a legal dispute has broken out right on the eve of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, bringing patent law straight into the paddock.
Sentronics Holdings LTD, which served as the exclusive fuel flow meter supplier to the FIA from 2018 to 2025, has launched a federal lawsuit in the US District Court for the Western District of Texas. The target of the filing is Allengra GmbH, the company that won the upcoming contract to supply the meters from 2026 to 2030. Filed on 16 October, the complaint alleges that the sensors currently fitted to every F1 car infringe upon a patented design held by the British firm.
The specific patent at the center of the dispute is number 11,391.609, titled "a method and an associated flow meter for measuring fuel flow rate in a vehicle". The filing details that the application was made in April 2017 before being granted in July 2022. For those unfamiliar with the tech, these meters are crucial: the FIA relies on them to cap engine power and ensure all competing teams adhere to the exact same maximum legal rate of energy consumption.
Sentronics states that its own lab testing confirmed that Allengra devices utilize the exact same patented methodologies. As a result, the former supplier is seeking damages and rulings against its successor, arguing that importing and using the parts during races in the United States constitutes direct infringement. The complaint explicitly names races in Austin, Miami, and Las Vegas, while also noting that Allengra variants are marketed for other motorsport applications including WEC, IMSA, and WSBK. Furthermore, the filing claims that Allengra has been on notice since at least August 2025, when formal written notice regarding a European counterpart patent was served, making the alleged infringement willful.
Thankfully, the United States Grand Prix weekend is not set to be affected in any way. Sentronics has not asked for an emergency ban that would halt the usage of the parts, with the court merely being asked to issue a summons. The upcoming action is expected to proceed without interruption, amidst a weekend where Andrea Kimi Antonelli will have his first opportunity to clinch his maiden F1 world championship in Austin.
