FIA ruling on Ferrari engine could cause ‘a big fight’ in the F1 paddock

Follow us on Google Discover

The FIA could spark a major row in the F1 paddock if they grant Ferrari additional resources to improve their 2026 engine, according to Jon Noble.

After four rounds, Ferrari are second in the constructors’ championship behind Mercedes, though the gap has grown to 68 points after the Miami Grand Prix. McLaren now appear to be the nearest challengers to the Silver Arrows.

As part of the new engine regulations, the teams agreed to introduce a catch-up mechanism known as ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities). The scale of the benefits depends on the gap to the benchmark engine manufacturer, in this case Mercedes.

Mercedes will not be ‘happy’ if Ferrari receive engine assistance

Some teams have been complaining to the FIA that Ferrari have an unfair advantage with ADUO because they deliberately limited their power output by opting for a smaller turbo – the key factor behind their lightning race starts.

There have been suggestions that teams like Ferrari could look to game the ADUO rules, withholding some performance to improve their long-term prospects.

Share one thing you love about the 2026 F1 regulations!

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

Speaking on The Race F1 podcast, Noble said Ferrari were pinning their hopes on being able to deliver a major engine upgrade this year. They are thought to be third in the power unit pecking order behind Mercedes and newcomers RBPT.

However, Noble says an argument could erupt among the teams depending on the FIA’s ruling.

He said: “They’re throwing an awful lot into the hope of getting this engine upgrade through ADUO, but I think when that decision comes – and it’s quite political in terms of timing and who should get it – there may be a big fight in the paddock over it.

“If they do get it, I don’t think Mercedes will be very happy. If they don’t get it, then Ferrari are going to be very unhappy.”

If this Ferrari stat is true, then they desperately need ADUO

The FIA originally planned to measure engine performance after Miami, but that was designed to be round six out of 22. With the Bahrain and Saudi GPs called off, Miami was instead round four out of 20.

It’s unclear whether the FIA will stick to the original timeline or wait until Canada or Monaco.

There are rumours that Ferrari are lacking 30 horsepower compared to Mercedes, and if this is correct, the timeline won’t necessarily matter. In this scenario, they are bound to get access to ADUO.

Elsewhere, the FIA will be testing engines in hot conditions from Monaco onwards in an attempt to close the fuel compression ratio loophole that Mercedes were accused of exploiting.

The FIA insist Mercedes weren’t ‘trying to cheat’, and the pre-season scandal has somewhat ebbed away, suggesting there won’t be any major changes to the pecking order as a result.