The FIA are reviewing their engine performance findings after Red Bull were named as the power unit manufacturer with the best Formula 1 engine.
As part of the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) system, the FIA have judged the pecking order of the 2026 power unit manufacturers’ engines – Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari, Audi and Honda.
Sky Sports News has seen the document, which was released to the teams earlier this month, which stated each power unit manufacturer aside from Red Bull will be allowed to make engine upgrades this season.
Mercedes are deemed to be more than two per cent behind Red Bull’s power unit, so will be given one engine upgrade this year, while Ferrari, Audi and Honda will be given two upgrades as they are deemed to be more than four per cent adrift of Red Bull.
As the benchmark engine, Red Bull, who have made their own power unit for the first time in F1, will not receive an engine upgrade.
The FIA are yet to officially confirm the results as Sky Sports News understands F1’s governing body are assessing their findings and holding discussions with all teams, including the power unit manufacturers, ahead of next week’s Austrian Grand Prix.
The engine upgrade opportunities after first review, subject to confirmation from the FIA
Red Bull and Mercedes split on ADUO results
ADUO only looks at the performance of the internal combustion engine, and not the electrical element of the power unit which makes up nearly 50 per cent of the output.
At the weekend’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, Max Verstappen stated he was “surprised” to discover Red Bull have been ranked to have the best engine, given rivals Mercedes have won six of the seven races this season.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said: “We are completely with the fact that the rule states that you should only try to estimate the pecking order of the ICE (internal combustion engine) power. We are completely okay with that; we have all agreed to that, and we don’t think that is the issue.
“Where we certainly would like to have a deeper conversation is because we do not see one single data sample that indicates that we would have an advantage over our friends at Mercedes.”
Red Bull appear to be unsure how they are the only power unit manufacturer without an engine upgrade opportunity (PA)
Mekies confirmed Red Bull have “opened a very good dialogue” with the FIA to “make sure they get the right picture” and that “there’s a common sense element” to be discussed.
“It’s actually a very difficult measurement to make. We have one sensor in the car that tries to measure that, that has a number of limitations,” he told Sky Sports F1.
“You have many other information to try and estimate engine power across the pit lane.”
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Sky Sports News’ Craig Slater looks at how Red Bull has developed Formula 1’s ‘benchmark’ power unit
In addition to upgrades for this season, Mercedes can have an upgrade for 2027 while Ferrari, Audi and Honda can make two upgrades.
Two more ADUO reviews will take place later this year, which will impact the 2027 season, after the Hungarian Grand Prix at the end of July and the Mexico City Grand Prix at the start of November.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says the engine upgrade opportunity is “helpful” and thinks it is “quite easy” to measure the amount of power from an internal combustion engine.
“It’s data that they [the FIA] have measured and collected. There’s no political background, there is no favours, but it’s the outcome of their analysis of their torque sensors and the way it’s being done, and that is the result,” said Wolff.
Is ADUO needed in F1?
The FIA have made it clear ADUO is not a system to artificially balance up the field and Wolff points out F1 needed to ensure it avoided a situation similar to 2014 where Mercedes had a huge advantage in the first season with new power unit regulations.
“We were on the good end of that, but this is what we wanted to avoid, especially newcomers coming in like Audi and to a certain degree Honda with Aston Martin, Red Bull, of course. And that’s what it is, and that’s how it should be.
“I get a rash of allergy when talking about BoP (Balance of Performance.. This is something that we should stay far away from Formula 1. It’s a political mess in all the other series. It makes manufacturers go out of the sport also, and I’ve been very close to that, as you can imagine, in DTM, in GTs, in Le Mans.
“We should never be tempted to have someone agree on how the balance of performance should fall out. If there is a mechanism that consists of fine tuning in order to make sure that nobody’s embarrassed on the power unit side, I think that’s the right way to go, because when you look at aerodynamics, that was invented for a completely different situation.”
Toto Wolff says Mercedes’ engine upgrade opportunity is “helpful”
However, Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle and Jacques Villeneuve are unsure about the ADUO system.
“I don’t like the whole thing, to be honest. Formula 1 is about excellence, not the lowest common denominator,” said Brundle.
“Of course, you’ve got to give a leg up to Honda, or somebody else who is really struggling, maybe Audi could do with it as well. But at the end of the day, there are opportunities to improve your power units going along, and I just think it should just be about excellence.”
Villeneuve added: “It’s confusing and ultimately it’s not that Mercedes get help – because the other teams get two helps – it’s that Red Bull gets kind of a downer there.
“I don’t like this rule where one team is allowed to improve their car but one team is not. You shouldn’t have that in F1. You have a set of rules and if you did a good job, then good for you!”
Formula 1’s European season continues with the Austrian Grand Prix on June 26-28, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
