Ferrari must decide if it will run updated F1 engines in Monza this week after ADUO results

Ferrari was awarded two upgrade tokens through Formula 1’s Additional Upgrades and Opportunities (ADUO) system to modify the power unit in its SF-26. After assembling the two updated engines for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, the team must now decide whether to run the new power units at next week's Italian Grand Prix.

The final decision will be made at the end of this week, when the parts that will be sent to Monza are approved. This reasoning may seem anachronistic, but it is simply the expression of a reality complicated by the current regulations.

The mandatory summer break, for example, did not work in the team's favour, because the closure of the Maranello factory extended the testing time for the new engine, which has been numbered 067/6. An endurance test must be passed before it can go to a race weekend, which requires a unit to complete at least six grands prix on the test bench without any reliability issues.

The Gestione Sportiva engine department reportedly has 21 cells equipped with state-of-the-art test benches, but cost constraints and the desire to level the playing field dictate that only two or three dynamometers are used, with strict time constraints that extend the timeframe.

And when a reliability issue arises and a small change needs to be made, the approval process must be halted and the whole process must be started again. It's painstaking work, and even a grain of sand can cripple a mechanism that shouldn't be running smoothly.

Ferrari is therefore waiting for the green light to install the ADUO2 engine in the SF-26s that Hamilton and Leclerc will race in Monza. The cars will also feature a special celebratory livery to commemorate Michael Schumacher's tenure at Maranello.

The project is expected to be a six-cylinder engine with around 15 more horsepower and a different power curve, which should reduce the GP delta to Mercedes while also improving the hybrid's charging phase.

The Ferrari cars could feature a new engine and livery in Monza

Photo by: Eric Le Galliot

Not only have the Garrett turbos been modified, but also the combustion chamber has been modified to better exploit the new fuel that Shell has approved for Monza. The performance increase is due to the combined effect of the higher-calorie fuel with the advanced combustion engine.

It's fair to say that the Scuderia isn't heading to Monza aiming for victory: the characteristics of the Temple of Speed don't match the SF-26 on paper. However, the hope is that Hamilton and Leclerc can be very close in qualifying to the Mercedes, which will be the big favourites.

Importantly, home hero Kimi Antonelli will also be hit with an engine penalty at his home grand prix, which will see him start at least 20th.

The Italian GP will be a crucial event to establish the engine hierarchy after the adjustments granted by the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities, on a track where electric charging is very difficult.

According to the FIA’s latest engine assessment, Red Bull remains the benchmark in terms of its internal combustion engine. Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda and Audi must all now play catch up, and have subsequently been awarded upgrade tokens to use in the 2026 and 2027 F1 seasons.