Feature
Formula 1 Italian GP
Why "mega difficult" ADUO upgrades haven't been a game changer in F1
Ferrari is expected to run its second engine upgrade at its Italian Grand Prix home race. But team principal Fred Vasseur is pumping the brakes on how much a difference the in-season ADUO upgrades can make in Formula 1
Filip Cleeren
Edited: Sep 2, 2026, 8:14 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Autosport Explains
Our experts decode the most important stories in motorsport.
The ADUO catch-up mechanism, whereby power unit manufacturers are afforded upgrade opportunities and budget cap headroom to improve power unit components that would otherwise remain frozen, has been a complicated and divisive topic.
Handing out opportunities based on a sliding scale of V6 engine performance has opened the door to gamesmanship and politics, especially since Red Bull Powertrains was deemed to have the best engine F1 over the likes of Mercedes, with Ferrari and the other manufacturers further behind.
But ADUO is no silver bullet either, and being allowed the opportunity to open up the homologation doesn't mean manufacturers are simply able to turn a middling engine into a rocketship mid-season. Engine development is a long and costly process, and even with the additional budget headroom changing engine designs within the scope of a season is a huge undertaking.
Read Also:
That's why, as Ferrari readies its second ADUO upgrade for its Italian Grand Prix home race, team principal Fred Vasseur is keen to manage expectations for Monza but also play down how much of a game changer ADUO can really be.
"What we also have to keep in mind is that ADUO is helping, but it's mega difficult to develop during a season," Vasseur told Autosport. "Even with the ADUO, even with the extra budget, because introducing some new spec of engine, it's mega costly. The cost of material is huge on the engine.
"If you change something, you have to change almost everything. It means that you go to race 10, you need to have a spare engine. And then you go to race 11. If you want to introduce ADUO, you need to introduce an engine plus spare. It means that each time that you want to do something, the cost is huge, and the capacity or the possibility to develop during the season event with ADUO is marginal."
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Eric Le Galliot
Ferrari's view is backed up by what some of its competitors are doing. Both Audi and Honda, which have also received two upgrade opportunities, have decided to cash in only one of their two homologation tokens for 2026 and instead focus on having the most competitive power unit possible for the start of the 2027 campaign.
"We brought something to Barcelona straight away, which was some small adaption and that worked well," said Audi's racing director Allan McNish. "The bigger parts are for 2027, so we will not see anything big on the power unit until then. It’s more hardware than anything, and that’s not a quick thing to change.”
Allowing manufacturers to change their entire power unit solely based on V6 power remains a sore topic, albeit one the manufacturers themselves agreed upon, while the FIA was happy to take more factors into consideration.
The FIA published unchanged findings after its second measuring point following the Hungarian Grand Prix, with a disgruntled Red Bull continuing to lead the way and therefore being frozen out of power unit upgrades.
Vasseur said criticism of how the system works is not entirely without merit, but stressed it was voted on by the parties involved: "It's a good point, but everybody agreed on something like this two years ago. "Also, I think on the efficiency of the electric part you can make a small difference, but we are all very close. On the ICE side, it can be different.
"Honestly, it's a very difficult topic. I see the positive to put everybody in the same ballpark in terms of engine performance. What was good with the previous regulations also, is that after years we had the four or five PU manufacturers within tenths of a second."
Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari
Photo by: Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 via Getty Images
Ferrari has also had its reasons to be upset at the start of the season, when the FIA decided to lengthen the starting procedure to allow drivers to spool up their turbos longer, easing safety concerns over botched starts.
Ferrari had actually flagged this potential issue throughout 2025, but when the FIA decided not to make any rule changes, it consciously decided to move to a smaller turbocharger design, helping it achieve more consistent starts at the expense of overall power output. The start changes effectively punished Ferrari for making that trade-off.
Vasseur admitted he was "still a bit upset" at the start saga, but was keen to "turn the page" and had sympathy for the tough job the governing body is doing trying to keep up with the combined engineering might of 11 F1 teams.
"It's tough. We made a decision for the starting procedure that was in place before the season, and they changed the starting procedure, and this didn't help us at all," he said.
"But let's turn this page. The regulations in general are a challenge for the teams, but it's a mega challenge for the FIA when you start from scratch like this. Keep in mind that the aero regulations are different, the engine regulations different, battery different, sporting regulations different. The FIA's team is much smaller than the [technical] team of each team.
"It means that perhaps some things are not perfect, but I think overall the job is well done. And even on the start, I was a bit upset, and I'm still a bit upset. But I can also understand that if someone has an issue at the start, that the FIA doesn't want to be involved in this situation."
Read Also:
Formula 1How Hamilton "shook the system" at Ferrari, but it couldn't fulfil all his wishes
Formula 1How Ferrari can "push until the end" with F1 2026 upgrades, and why it will
We want to hear from you!
Let us know what you would like to see from us in the future.
Take our survey
- The Autosport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Author Filip Cleeren
After concluding his journalism studies Filip decided to jump in at the deep end and become a freelance motorsports writer, which took him on a nomadic 50-country journey from Indianapolis to Le Mans and from Melbourne's Albert Park to the Dakar in Argentina. Born and raised in Belgium and now settled in sunny Barcelona, Spain, Filip first joined Motorsport.com in 2015 to help establish the Dutch edition before transitioning to the English-language team. In 2023 he became one of Motorsport Network's main F1 correspondents, with the 2026 season his fourth year on the ground at the majority of grands prix. Being Flemish, when he's not covering F1, he can likely be found watching the cycling instead, and he also has a soft spot for Southampton FC and the Toronto Blue Jays. Don't ask!
Read more
Previous article Haas rules out switch to 2027 development as VF-26 updates coming in Monza
Next article McLaren to deliver rotating rear wing at Italian GP but calls it H-wing
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from Filip Cleeren
The surprising convergence behind F1's increasingly competitive 2026 season
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 23 h
The surprising convergence behind F1's increasingly competitive 2026 season
Lawson to stay in F1 as Racing Bulls announces 2027 driver pairing
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
2 d
Lawson to stay in F1 as Racing Bulls announces 2027 driver pairing
How Brazil showcased everything that's good about F1 - plus some that isn't
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
2 d
How Brazil showcased everything that's good about F1 - plus some that isn't
How the Racing Bulls pendulum is swinging back towards Lawson
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
5 d
How the Racing Bulls pendulum is swinging back towards Lawson
F1 Brazilian GP: Norris wins in mixed conditions, Mercedes clinch constructors’ title
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
5 d
F1 Brazilian GP: Norris wins in mixed conditions, Mercedes clinch constructors’ title
Why Russell was so angry in Brazilian GP qualifying despite already having a grid penalty
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
6 d
Why Russell was so angry in Brazilian GP qualifying despite already having a grid penalty
F1 Brazilian GP: Norris splashes to pole from Russell
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
6 d
F1 Brazilian GP: Norris splashes to pole from Russell
F1 retains Brazilian GP until 2035 with fresh Sao Paulo deal
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
7 d
F1 retains Brazilian GP until 2035 with fresh Sao Paulo deal
Latest news
The numbers that reveal how MotoGP sprint races have decided the title fight
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
3 h
The numbers that reveal how MotoGP sprint races have decided the title fight
How seizing every chance – and making it happen – keeps Gasly’s fire burning
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 6 h
How seizing every chance – and making it happen – keeps Gasly’s fire burning
McLaren to upgrade MCL40 F1 car at its bogey track Las Vegas
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Las Vegas GP
7 h
McLaren to upgrade MCL40 F1 car at its bogey track Las Vegas
The surprising convergence behind F1's increasingly competitive 2026 season
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 23 h
The surprising convergence behind F1's increasingly competitive 2026 season
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe