Audi 'cannot create miracles' despite vital FIA lifeline

Audi boss Mattia Binotto says the team cannot "create miracles" in upgrading its F1 power unit, despite the FIA's ADUO lifeline.

Under the new rules for 2026, the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities programme allows power unit manufacturers to improve performance if they are deemed to be below certain thresholds in power.

If a team is 2% off the benchmark power unit, currently Mercedes, it is allowed one upgrade, with further ones permitted if the engine is measured and shows a greater deficit than this. 

Audi is in line to receive two ADUO upgrades, but despite this, boss Binotto believes that the team "cannot create miracles" and immediately turn into a front-runner, as he re-emphasised Audi's plan for 2030.

"The lead times on the engine are very long, and we believe that most of the gap to the top teams is from the power unit, which is not unexpected," Binotto told media, including RacingNews365. 

"We knew that it would be the biggest challenge, but engine development, when it comes to some concepts, can take longer, and it is not by chance that we have set 2030 as your objective, because we know that it will take a long time.

"It is not that we are not ambitious and we would like to see things solved in a couple of races, but sometimes that is not the case.

"We need to understand exactly where we are as a team, what the plan is, and stick to the plan because miracles are not possible, so we are not here to create miracles.

"We cannot do that, but we are here to have a proper plan to address and improve in the future."