The Formula 1 edit

Article by Chanelle Yehia

A couple months ago, Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar noted that “I mean, I was checking if we won the first six races of the year, you know, and we didn’t…” And he’s right: Mercedes did. In fact, Red Bull has failed to win a single race so far in 2026, with only three podium finishes out of twelve races. But the FIA are convinced that Red Bull has the superior engine.

Findings

ADUO, which stands for Additional Development and Upgrades Opportunities, is a program introduced with the new 2026 technical regulations. The goal of ADUO is to level the playing field between rival engine manufacturers in F1. The FIA determines ADUO at three intervals each season and has created the ICE Performance Index to compare different engines.

If the FIA finds that an engine is more than 2% off the benchmark/best-performing engine, their engine manufacturer is granted additional upgrade opportunities: one upgrade for this season (2026) and one upgrade for next season (2027), as well as additions to the cost cap budget. While this doesn’t necessarily guarantee their engine will improve, it gives manufacturers the chance to catch up. If an engine is over 4% off the benchmark, they are granted two upgrades for this season and next season (four upgrades total).

Much to Red Bull’s surprise, the FIA concluded that the Red Bull Ford Powertrains is currently the best engine on the grid, cutting the team off from upgrade eligibility. However, Mercedes was found to be between 2-4% off the margin, with Ferrari, Audi, and Honda being over 4% off. In translation: every engine manufacturer except Red Bull is receiving upgrade opportunities. 

Smokescreens

To make matters more enigmatic, the FIA has provided incredibly vague information regarding the ADUO process. While it’s known that the ICE PI accounts for factors such as MGU-K power and engine speed, the exact measurements, data, and processes used by the FIA for determining ADUO is extremely opaque. This lack of transparency is purposeful and meant to prevent engine manufacturers from cheating or finding loopholes through the system. 

As a consequence of this, nearly everyone is left guessing as to why Red Bull’s supposedly “excellent” engine is not translating to the team’s performance. There are a couple interesting hypotheses worth discussing. 

Speculations

First, it’s important to consider that ADUO only accounts for the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), and excludes the Energy Recovery System (ERS), electrical components, chassis, and integration within the car. Even if Red Bull has better ICE, their electrical elements and chassis could be holding them back. 

This raises concerns about the holes in the ADUO system overall. If ADUO assessments ignore so many crucial elements of the racecar, then it’s difficult to equitably grant upgrades to the teams who are struggling. For instance, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has admitted that his team has the superior overall power unit, even though Red Bull may have the better ICE.

However, Red Bull has also publicly pushed back against the FIA’s decision, with team principal Laurent Mekies saying that there was “not a single data point” that aligned with Red Bull’s position in the ADUO. While Red Bull certainly have their incentives for arguing the FIA’s ruling as incorrect, ADUO’s lack of transparency means their claims cannot be completely dismissed.

Moreover, in an article for The Race, Mark Hughes speculated that ADUO’s obscurity meant to prevent cheating may be fruitless and failing. It’s possible, he argued, that manufacturers such as Mercedes and Ferrari could have been purposely conservative with their engines, with Ferrari downgrading to try to gain an upgrade, and Mercedes downgrading to keep Ferrari within the 2% margin and block their upgrades. This competition (if it really happened) could explain why Red Bull catapulted to the peak of the ADUO standings.

Regardless of which theory, (or combination of theories), is correct, one thing is certain: Red Bull are surrounded. With every other engine manufacturer being given upgrades, Red Bull is outflanked and left to play catch-up; their mysteriously superior engine may ultimately be the weight dragging them out the Constructors Championship.