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Ferrari’s Formula 1 rivals are concerned that the catch-up mechanism in the 2026 power unit regulations will hand the Scuderia an unfair advantage.
Ahead of the regulation changes, it was decided that manufacturers who are lagging behind should be afforded Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities. There are two levels of assistance, one for teams two to four percent off the pace, and one for teams above that threshold.
There are some who believe that Ferrari have built the best chassis in F1, but their engine deficit to pacesetters Mercedes is still considerable. This has been evident in the first three rounds, where Fred Vasseur’s team have trailed the Silver Arrows by 0.56 seconds on average in qualifying.
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Ferrari have been the fastest-starting team on the grid, taking the lead from the second row in Australia and China before ultimately settling for third when Mercedes overwhelmed them.
F1 teams think Ferrari have unfair ADUO advantage
Ferrari’s fast starts are linked to their smaller turbo, which requires less preparation before lights-out. This was a deliberate choice at Maranello, hence their resistance to any race-start rule changes.
According to The Times, some teams have complained ‘behind the scenes’ that the criteria are ‘unfair’ because Ferrari ‘limited their own internal combustion engine’ power with the turbo choice.
The FIA’s single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis says the teams wanted to keep the ADUO rules simple, which is why they didn’t account for turbocharger dimensions.
There have been some theories that Ferrari are trying to game the system, holding back some performance in order to access greater benefits further down the line, but they are unlikely to take such a gamble.
Toto Wolff believes only one team should benefit from ADUO
Speaking earlier this month, via Sky Sports, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said that Honda, Aston Martin’s partners, are the only manufacturer who truly need ‘help’.
Should F1 teams help Honda and give them extra upgrades in 2026?
In his eyes, the ADUO system was designed to stop engine suppliers lagging behind for a sustained period, rather than interfering with the pecking order at the front. Honda are bringing reliability improvements to Miami but their engine will remain significantly down on power.
Wolff said: “The teams will have their performance pictures and, as it seems for me, there’s one engine manufacturer that has a problem and we need to help. And then all the others are pretty much in the same ballpark.”
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies agrees with Wolff, though newcomers RBPT are believed to be the closest to Mercedes in the engine department.
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