Why ADUO upgrades are not a game-changer in Formula 1

– The ADUO catch-up mechanism (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities), which grants power unit manufacturers upgrade possibilities and more leeway within the budget cap to improve components that would otherwise remain frozen, is a complicated and divisive topic.

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The allocation of development opportunities based on a tiered scale of V6 engine power has opened the door wide for games and politics – especially since Red Bull Powertrains was certified as having the strongest engine in Formula 1 (even ahead of Mercedes), while Ferrari and the other manufacturers lagged behind.

But ADUO is by no means a miracle cure: The permission to open homologation does not mean that manufacturers can simply turn an average engine into a rocket during the season.

Engine development is a long and costly process, and even with the additional budget leeway, changing engine designs during a season is a huge undertaking.

Vasseur: The costs are enormous

That is why team principal Frederic Vasseur is keen to temper expectations ahead of Ferrari’s second ADUO upgrade at the home Grand Prix in Monza, while downplaying how much ADUO can really change the balance of power.

“We have to keep in mind that while ADUO helps, development during the season is extremely difficult,” Vasseur explains to Autosport, a sister platform of Motorsport-Total.com in the Motorsport Network. “Even with ADUO and the additional budget, because introducing a new engine specification is mega expensive. The material costs for the engine are huge.”

“If you change something, you have to change almost everything. That means: if you go to race ten, you need a spare engine. Then if you go to race eleven and want to introduce an ADUO, you have to provide that engine plus a spare,” says the Frenchman.

“Every time you want to do something, the costs are enormous – and the capacity or possibility for development during the season is marginal even with ADUO.”

Ferrari’s viewpoint is supported by the approach of some competitors. Both Audi and Honda, who were also granted two upgrade opportunities, have decided to use only one of their two homologation tokens for 2026. Instead, they are focusing on having the most competitive power unit possible at the start of the 2027 season.

“We brought something directly in Barcelona – those were small adjustments that worked well,” says Audi’s racing director Allan McNish. “The bigger parts are planned for 2027, so we won’t see anything major on the power unit until then. It’s mainly about hardware, and you don’t just change that quickly.”

Vasseur: Everyone agreed

That manufacturers are allowed to completely overhaul their entire power unit based solely on V6 power remains a sensitive topic – although one that the manufacturers themselves agreed to, while the FIA would have liked to consider additional factors.

After the second measurement point following the Hungarian Grand Prix, the FIA published unchanged results: an annoyed Red Bull still led the field and thus remained excluded from engine upgrades.

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Vasseur says that the criticism of how the system works is not entirely unfounded, but emphasizes that the parties involved voted on it. “That’s a valid point, but everyone agreed to it exactly two years ago,” he says.

“Also, I think you can make a small difference in the efficiency of the electric part, but we are all very close together,” Vasseur adds. “On the combustion side, it might look different.”

“Honestly, it’s a very difficult topic. I see the positive in bringing everyone to a similar level regarding engine power. The good thing about the previous rules was also that after a few years the four or five PU manufacturers were within a few tenths of a second.”

Ferrari upset over start procedure change

Ferrari also had reason to be upset at the start of the season when the FIA decided to extend the start procedure. This was intended to allow drivers to spool their turbochargers longer to address safety concerns regarding botched starts.

Ferrari had actually been complaining about this potential problem throughout 2025. However, when the FIA decided against rule changes, Maranello consciously chose to go with a smaller turbocharger design.

While this helped achieve more consistent starts, it came at the expense of overall performance. The subsequent changes to the start procedure effectively punished Ferrari for making this compromise.

Vasseur admits that he is “still a little upset” about the start saga but emphasizes that he wants to “close the chapter.” He also shows understanding for the difficult task of the governing body to keep up with the combined engineering power of eleven Formula 1 teams.

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“It’s tough. We made a decision for the start procedure that applied before the season, and then they changed the process – which didn’t help us at all,” he says.

“But let’s put that topic to rest. The regulations in general are a challenge for the teams, but it’s a gigantic task for the FIA when you start from scratch like here. You must not forget: The aerodynamics regulations are new, the engine regulations are different, the battery is different, the sporting regulations are different. The FIA team is much smaller than the technical staff of each individual team.”

“That means maybe some things aren’t perfect, but overall the job is well done. And regarding the starts: I was a little upset and still am. But I can also understand that the FIA doesn’t want to get dragged into a situation when someone has a problem at the start.”

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