Ferrari name F1 'game-changer' as critical Mercedes advantage identified

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur believes F1's Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) power unit system could be a "game-changer" in the team's pursuit of Mercedes.

Under the new 2026 rules, the power units are already homologated for the year, but the ADUO system was introduced to try to create equalisation in performance across the five PUMs on the grid.

Essentially, after every six races in the season, the FIA will measure the comparative performance figures from each engine, and if a manufacturer is deemed to be 2% adrift of the leading unit, one upgrade in 2026 and one for 2027 will be permitted.

If the figure is 4% or more, then two upgrades in each period will be allocated, with the figures not just based on pure lap-time performance, in which, from Chinese GP qualifying, Ferrari would be within 0.5% of the Mercedes HPP power unit. 

Ferrari has emerged as Mercedes' closest rival across the first two races of the season, with team principal Vasseur explaining that the ADUO system could help the Maranello concern in its pursuit of Mercedes, which he believes holds a critical advantage in straight-line speed.

"I'm not convinced that the new compression ratio would be a huge game changer," Vasseur told media, including RacingNews365. 

"It is more than you will have the ADUO at one stage, that the introduction of the ADUO will be an opportunity for us to close the gap.

"But it is not about the pure ICE performance, there is a lot in the energy management, a lot in the chassis, and it would be a mistake from our side to be focused on one parameter. 

"For sure, I would like to be a bit faster, but we have a deficit of performance, mainly in a straight line, that we have to work on. 

"We are improving because we were eight-tenths off in Melbourne, six-tenths off on Friday [in China] and four-tenths on Saturday. 

"Step-by-step, we are understanding more of the situation and closing the gap, but [Mercedes] is still far away. 

"It is not just about the engineering; we have to work everywhere. We have to improve on the chassis, on the tyres, like always, racing didn't change that.

"All of the components of performance are still on the table, and we do not need to be focused on only one parameter."