Overview
- Ferrari conceded after the Monza weekend that its second ADUO engine update produced only incremental power gains and did not erase the ‘pure power’ shortfall to Mercedes.
- The FIA’s first ADUO assessment judged Red Bull Powertrains the benchmark ICE, which prevents Red Bull from upgrading while granting Mercedes one upgrade and Ferrari, Audi and Honda two each.
- Monza exposed how power-sensitive circuits amplify the deficit, a fact Fred Vasseur highlighted after Charles Leclerc’s 60G first-lap crash and Lewis Hamilton’s sixth-place finish underlining on-track consequences.
- Customer team Haas, which ran Ferrari’s ADUO 2 unit at Monza, called the change ‘beneficial but not a game changer,’ while Red Bull publicly mocked the ADUO ruling on social media.
- Teams say the ADUO process measures only internal-combustion output rather than hybrid deployment, so manufacturers view this season’s upgrades as short-term steps with a new Ferrari engine and broader catch-up targeted for 2027.