ADUO in F1: Red Bull engine top rated by FIA as Mercedes, Ferrari granted upgrades for 2026 Formula 1 season
Every power unit manufacturer aside from Red Bull will be given the opportunity to upgrade their engine after the FIA revealed their performance findings to the teams; watch the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix from this Friday, live on Sky Sports F1
Sunday 7 June 2026 23:11, UK
Mercedes and Ferrari have been granted engine upgrades this season by the FIA after Red Bull was deemed as Formula 1's best engine.
As part of the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) system, the FIA have judged the pecking order of the 2026 power unit manufacturers - Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari, Audi and Honda.
Sky Sports News has seen the document which states Mercedes are more than two per cent behind Red Bull's power unit, so will be given one engine upgrade this year, while Ferrari, Audi and Honda will be given two upgrades as they are deemed to be more than four per cent adrift of Red Bull.
As the benchmark power unit manufacturer, Red Bull, who are making their own engine for the first time in F1, will not receive an engine upgrade.
- Monaco GP result | F1 2026 standings | F1 2026 Calendar
- Download the Sky Sports app for expert analysis, best video & more📱
- Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺
In addition to upgrades for this season, Mercedes can have an upgrade for 2027 while Ferrari, Audi and Honda can make two upgrades.
Lewis Hamilton had also told Sky Sports F1 the teams were informed over the Monaco Grand Prix weekend about the ADUO announcement.
"Red Bull have the most powerful engine, Mercedes second, and then we [Ferrari] are behind," he said.
"We've got now these tokens to try to develop and close the gap. But that's like an eight-to-10-month project, so it's not something we can just do next week. We'll be pushing as hard as we can to see how we can close it up."
The ADUO result is a surprise given Mercedes have largely had the best car and been strong on the straights during the six rounds so far.
The FIA has not told the teams how it measures the power units, so power unit manufacturers do not manipulate certain areas to try and qualify for an upgrade.
FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis previously said: "It's important to make clear that ADUO is not a kind of balance of performance mechanism.
"A team or manufacturer will not suddenly get greater fuel flow rate or more or less ballast. It is, in fact, a Cost Cap relief mechanism, where a PU manufacturer meeting ADUO criteria during a review period is given an opportunity to develop its engine through a downward adjustment.
"That's not to underestimate it but a manufacturer will still need to make the best engine in order to win. It's not a magic bullet, or like the FIA is handing out brownie points to somebody who's behind, it simply provides them with leeway to develop their power unit within the framework laid out by the Technical Regulations."
Two more ADUO reviews will take place later this year, which will impact the 2027 season, after the Hungarian Grand Prix at the end of July and the Mexico City Grand Prix at the start of November.
How does ADUO work?
ADUO focuses on the performance of the non-electrical half of the power unit, the internal combustion engine (ICE).
The FIA is measuring the performance of the power units at every race using a performance index that is not available to the media.
That index is based on factors including input shaft torque, engine speed, MGU-K power and a weighting to account for power sensitivity on lap time across measured laps.
ADUO will be granted to manufacturers who are down on performance to the leading ICE by two per cent or more.
Manufacturers trailing by between two and four per cent will be granted one opportunity to develop their power unit this season and one more next, while those trailing by four per cent or more will get two opportunities for improvement in 2026 and two further in 2027.
ADUO grants are not, however, cumulative within a season and will only be granted on the first occasion a manufacturer is deemed to qualify.
There is also an accompanying financial mechanism to the rule under the cost cap for power-unit manufacturers.
Manufacturers judged to be 2-4 per cent behind will get allowances up to $3m; from 4-6 per cent behind it is $4.65m; from 6-8 per cent it is $6.35m; from 8-10 per cent it is $8m and, in a newly-added additional bracket, it is $11m for manufacturers with a deficit of 10 per cent or more.
For the 2026 season only, any manufacturer judged to be at least 10 per cent behind can further boost development by anticipating up to $8m of future cost-cap periods.
Formula 1 heads straight to Spain for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix with live coverage on Sky Sports F1 from this Friday. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime
