The FIA has released its new ADUO findings, with Red Bull still in the benchmark spot.
The FIA recently confirmed its findings on which power unit manufacturer has the strongest engine in the first and second review periods. The rankings remain consistent in the second review, with Red Bull-Ford at the benchmark spot, and Mercedes, Ferrari, Audi, and Honda trailing behind.
Here is the full picture:
- Red Bull-Ford (Red Bull, Racing Bulls): Strongest engine
- Mercedes (Mercedes, McLaren, Williams, Alpine): 2-4% behind
- Audi: More than 4% behind
- Ferrari (Ferrari, Haas, Cadillac): More than 4% behind
- Honda (Aston Martin): More than 4% behind
Under the newly introduced Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) system, the team at the benchmark spot gets no upgrades. Meanwhile, those in the 2-4% bracket get one additional upgrade in the current (2026) and following years (2027. Lastly, the manufacturers who are 4% behind can double their authorized upgrades.
It's a new system designed to level the playing field in Formula One, or at least attempt to.
Red Bull previously challenged the initial results
One important thing to know about ADUO is it's not a one-and-done review system. The FIA evaluates the engines through four evaluation periods per year, and after every six races.
When the first results were released after the Canadian Grand Prix, Red Bull called for the FIA to review the findings. They might be unhappy about the results, given that Mercedes clearly had been so dominant during the opening part of the season.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies was quoted as saying that they haven't been given a "data sample" to confirm that they have a superior internal combustion engine (ICE).
However, the subsequent verification did not alter the result, with the FIA again confirming Red Bull-Ford as the benchmark after the second assessment.
It hasn't been Red Bull's year so far. So it adds more to their woes that their competitors are gaining additional upgrades.
The race for the second half development is on
With the third-place McLaren showing drastic improvements in their qualifying and race pace, the current top two teams might be feeling the pressure. Mercedes is still 162 points ahead of McLaren in the Constructors' Championship, but Ferrari has seen their second-place lead trimmed to 75 points.
Another McLaren win and maybe a disastrous weekend for Ferrari will surely heat up the battle for second place. All eyes are now set on Ferrari's pace in their upcoming home race at Monza. Can they bring upgrades that will significantly improve their pace?
