The FIA announced it will re‑examine the ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) rankings after Red Bull asked for clarification on why its internal‑combustion engine was labelled the season’s benchmark. The review will focus on data from the opening five races.
At the Monaco Grand Prix the governing body released its first‑stage analysis, which ranked Red Bull’s power unit as the best, meaning the team would be barred from any ADUO upgrades this year. By contrast, Mercedes – despite winning every race so far – was placed just over two percent behind Red Bull and granted one upgrade this season, a further upgrade for next year, an extra $3 million cost‑cap allowance and additional test‑bench hours. Ferrari and the other manufacturers were assessed at more than four percent off the benchmark, earning the maximum two upgrades for 2026 and two for 2027.
Red Bull, which had expected to use the ADUO mechanism to close the gap with Mercedes, said the FIA’s findings conflicted with its own internal timing that put the team three‑tenths of a second behind the German squad. The team has now sought a detailed explanation, and the FIA said it will double‑check the sensor data used for the original assessment. Further ADUO reviews are scheduled after the Hungarian and Mexican Grands Prix.
