Guenther Steiner does ‘not believe’ the Ferrari engine ‘conspiracy’ he’s heard ahead of ADUO verdict

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Guenther Steiner refuses to believe that Ferrari have been “sandbagging” their early performances in 2026 to try to get more engine upgrades through F1’s ADUO system.

As this term marked the start of the 2026 regulations, Formula 1 also created a new method for allowing teams to introduce engine upgrades. F1 did not want the engine constructors to have free rein to introduce updates to their new power units freely throughout the season.

Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, Honda and Audi all faced a big challenge to design new engines for the 2026 regulations. F1 removed the expensive MGU-H, moved to sustainable fuels and most significantly increased the share of battery power from a 20/80 share to around 50/50.

Mercedes’ energy management has been a major advantage for their dominant start to this year, whereas Ferrari’s smaller turbo has seen them deliver rapid starts after countering F1’s removal of the MGU-H. But Ferrari are expected to receive ADUO upgrades for their engine.

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Guenther Steiner refuses to believe Ferrari ‘sandbagged’ their engine for ADUO upgrades

The ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) system will allow teams an upgrade token if their internal combustion engine (ICE) is between 2% to 4% worse than the benchmark unit. Any engines with a deficit greater than 4% will receive two upgrade tokens.

READ MORE: Laurent Mekies ‘completely’ agrees with Toto Wolff’s ADUO verdict

F1 and the FIA are set to share which teams will get upgrade tokens through ADUO after the Canadian Grand Prix on May 22-24. And there have been suggestions that Ferrari have tried to intentionally hide their engine’s performance to receive ADUO help, but Steiner rejects it.

Steiner told The Red Flags podcast: “No, I don’t believe that anybody would be sandbagging. It’s the same with the aero regs – if you are further back in the constructors’ championship, you get more wind tunnel time. You just cannot do that.

“I mean, you can do it, but you hurt yourself more than the advantage you get. So, no, I do not believe that one. That is what you call a conspiracy theory.”

Ferrari emerged as Mercedes’ main rival through the first three rounds of the 2026 season, yet they hit the April break already facing a 45-point deficit to the Silver Arrows. Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell also comfortably lead the early drivers’ standings.

Charles Leclerc in third place trails Antonelli by 23 points and Russell by 14, after seeing the Silver Arrows stars secure every Grand Prix and F1 Sprint win and pole position so far. But it would be hard for Ferrari to hide their engine’s real performance to try to get ADUO tokens.

According to Corriere Della Sera, the FIA introduced ‘countermeasures’ to ‘weed out’ any F1 engine constructors who ‘deliberately’ try to hide their engine’s full power before the ADUO ruling. But any engine updates introduced via ADUO might not be seen before the summer.