Controversial ADUO ruling could have far-reaching consequences

The FIA has informed the teams of the initial results of the ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) programme. 

This new system was introduced with the new engine regulations to reduce development costs while giving manufacturers who fall behind the opportunity to catch up.

The goal was to prevent a situation similar to 10 years ago, when Mercedes engines dominated and Honda struggled with serious reliability and performance issues. 

Engine manufacturers eligible for ADUO will now have the opportunity to introduce additional updates this season and next season.

In addition, within the cost cap, they may invest more and spend more hours on bench testing. 

The extent of these benefits depends on the performance gap between each engine and the reference engine, as determined by the FIA during the first six events of the season.

Formula for ADUO

The FIA used torque sensors on every car to measure the power of the internal combustion engine alone on the track. 

For each race, the FIA collected data from all cars - not only from the factory teams, but also from the customer teams. 

The best-performing engine from each manufacturer was used as the reference for that manufacturer.

The power output was then assessed based on track conditions, with performance at the start of a straight counting more heavily than at the end. 

Based on this, a mathematical formula calculated a performance index for each engine, allowing the differences between them to be determined.

Nikolas Tombazis, Single Seaters Director at the FIA, revealed that the governing body had proposed using a more complex formula last year as the performance of an internal combustion engine is influenced by various design choices, such as the size of the turbocharger, the operating temperature, and the backpressure in the exhaust system.

For example, with a smaller turbocharger and a throttle valve behind the exhaust, Ferrari sacrificed pure engine performance for a better lap time. 

The engine manufacturers rejected the proposal to include too many variables in the calculation and preferred to use horsepower as the sole benchmark.

Changes to the regulations?

During the Monaco Grand Prix, the FIA finally sent a letter to the engine manufacturers with the results of the initial measurements. 

While not yet publicly confirmed, it has been widely reported that Red Bull-Ford is the benchmark, while Mercedes showed a performance deficit of more than two per cent. 

As a result, it was granted permission to implement one engine update this season and another update next season. 

Ferrari, Audi, and Honda, on the other hand, were found to be more than 4 per cent behind. They are therefore allowed to implement two additional development opportunities for their power unit this year and another two in 2027. 

This outcome came as a major surprise, as it was widely assumed that Mercedes had by far the best engine. 

Rumours in the paddock suggest that this could lead to some changes in the regulations. For example, the FIA might reconsider the idea of using a more complex formula to assess power unit performance, but there is also the possibility that the entire ADUO mechanism could be abolished. 

Furthermore, this could have implications for discussions regarding potential changes to the engines for next year.

Not effective

Ferrari was among the manufacturers opposed to hardware changes, as they would reduce the benefits of ADUO. However, now that Mercedes has been granted permission to further develop its power unit and the entire mechanism may be revised, anything is possible.

In practice, it is becoming increasingly clear that this mechanism, which is intended to achieve performance convergence among the various engines, does not take into account the performance of the power unit as a whole. 

A manufacturer like Mercedes, which in all likelihood has a significant lead in the electric sector, could even extend this lead further because ADUO can be used to improve the performance of the combustion engine.

In short, if the goal of the current system is truly to bring the performance of the various manufacturers closer together, then it does not appear to be effective at this time.