The Italian Formula 1 team, Scuderia Ferrari, is understood to be awaiting official FIA approval to use the ADUO (Additional Design and Upgrade Opportunities), which would allow them to introduce a new power unit to close the gap to Mercedes’ engine.
Ferrari hopes that with ADUO approval, it can close the gap on Mercedes and jump back into the action in the constructors’ and drivers’ championship battles.
The Ferrari engine is assumed to be over 4% slower than Mercedes’ engine, which would allow two possible mid-season power unit upgrades, motorsport.com mentions in a recent scoop.
The Prancing Horse’s new power unit could debut as early as Austria, at the Red Bull Ring racing track.
What is the ADUO?
The ADUO is a system that allows manufacturers to perform upgrades to their power units.
The FIA will monitor each team’s internal combustion engine (ICE) performance from 2026 to 2030 to determine who is eligible for a possible power unit upgrade.
This rule was introduced recently with the 2026 regulations, which will allow teams to close the engine gap with rivals.
The ADUO comes into play when a power unit’s ICE is 2% or more behind the best engine in the performance index.
If the power unit’s ICE is below 4%, the eligible team will be granted two possible upgrades in the current season with the ADUO. In this case, Ferrari might be eligible once the FIA officially confirms.
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