The first assessment under the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) framework was completed following the opening five rounds of the season, with manufacturers measured against an FIA performance index focused on internal combustion engine (ICE) performance.
While Mercedes has emerged as the dominant force on track so far this season, the FIA’s analysis found the Red Bull Ford Powertrains engine to be the benchmark ICE, triggering development allowances for rival manufacturers that fall a certain percentage behind.
Mercedes was judged to be more than two percent behind the benchmark, making it eligible for one additional homologation upgrade this season and another in 2027.
Ferrari, meanwhile, was assessed as more than four percent behind, granting it two upgrade opportunities in 2026 and a further two next year. Honda and Audi are also understood to fall into the same category.
The ADUO mechanism was introduced as part of F1’s new power unit regulations to help prevent manufacturers from becoming locked into a significant performance deficit during the current engine cycle.
Rather than acting as a balance-of-performance system, ADUO provides eligible manufacturers with extra scope to develop their power units through additional homologation opportunities, increased testing allowances and cost cap relief.
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Only the internal combustion engine is considered when determining eligibility, meaning areas such as energy deployment, battery performance and other hybrid system gains are excluded from the assessment.
The FIA evaluated engine performance using a dedicated index that factored in elements including engine speed, torque and MGU-K power output, with reviews scheduled across three periods during the 2026 season.
The first review covered the Australian, Chinese, Japanese, Miami and Canadian Grands Prix, with manufacturers informed of the outcome at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Despite Ferrari qualifying for extra development opportunities, Lewis Hamilton warned that any gains are unlikely to arrive quickly.
“I think the news came out either yesterday or today that Red Bull have the most powerful engine, Mercedes second, and then we’re behind,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.
“So, we’ve now got these tokens to try and 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 out.”
Under the regulations, manufacturers assessed between two and four percent behind the benchmark receive one additional upgrade in the current season and one the following year.
Those more than four percent behind receive two upgrades in each of the next two seasons.
Eligible manufacturers also receive additional spending allowances and increased dyno testing hours to support their development programmes.
The next ADUO review period will cover races from Monaco through to the Hungarian Grand Prix, with a further assessment scheduled later in the season.
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