Charles Leclerc insists Ferrari’s ADUO-2 power unit did not fall below expectations at Monza, arguing that the characteristics of the Italian circuit made the remaining deficit appear greater than it had at Zandvoort. The Ferrari driver believes the upgraded engine delivered the step forward the team expected, while acknowledging that further progress is still required to close the gap to Mercedes.
Expectations surrounding Ferrari had been extremely high at its home Grand Prix, not only because of the significance of Monza but above all because of the eagerly awaited debut of ADUO-2. Ferrari fans hoped the new specification would finally allow the two SF-26 cars to fight Mercedes and McLaren on almost equal terms. That did not happen, but the result did not necessarily mean the upgrade had failed to deliver.
Ferrari expectations for ADUO-2 were too high at Monza
After the Italian Grand Prix, Frederic Vasseur admitted that Ferrari had already regarded Monza as potentially the worst circuit on the calendar for its package, despite the wave of enthusiasm surrounding the team in Piazza Duomo before the weekend. The team had also never expected ADUO-2 to completely erase its horsepower deficit to the Mercedes power unit, particularly at a circuit as demanding in that area as the Autodromo Nazionale.
That context is important when assessing what Monza really revealed about the Ferrari SF-26. The Italian circuit places far greater emphasis on power-unit performance than many other venues, making any remaining deficit especially visible.
Charles Leclerc says Ferrari ADUO-2 delivered the expected step
Charles Leclerc addressed the subject during Thursday’s Spanish Grand Prix press conferences at the Madring, attended by several media outlets including FormulaPassion.it. The Monegasque could also be forced to go without the updated power unit in Spain while Ferrari completes further checks.
“Did I expect better performance with the ADUO-2 engine than what we showed at Monza? No,” Charles Leclerc said. “Obviously, we always expect to make a step forward, but I think it’s a complicated situation because when you put a new engine in at Monza, everyone expects you to suddenly make a huge leap forward.”
“However, we went from Zandvoort, a circuit where the power unit did not have much influence, to Monza, where it had a huge influence. So the step forward was there and it was exactly what we expected, but as we have said, we are still behind.”
Ferrari’s latest engine development has therefore not disappointed Charles Leclerc. Instead, he believes the change in circuit characteristics between Zandvoort and Monza exaggerated the apparent difference in competitiveness. A deeper look at what the Monza data revealed about Ferrari’s ADUO-2 upgrade also provides important context for assessing the gains delivered by the new specification.
Leclerc: Ferrari has improved, but more steps are still needed
Charles Leclerc stressed that Ferrari’s larger power deficit at Monza compared with Zandvoort should not be interpreted as evidence that the new engine was less effective. In his view, the difference was simply amplified by how heavily the Italian circuit rewards power-unit performance.
“The gap in terms of engine power was therefore bigger at Monza than the one we had at Zandvoort, but not because the engine is worse, simply because of the characteristics of the track,” Charles Leclerc added.
“So I think we have made steps forward, but we need to make more, 100%. We are aware of that and we are working very hard on it, working in that direction.”
The ADUO-2 programme remains a central part of Ferrari’s technical development of the SF-26, but the team is already looking beyond the gains achieved at Monza. According to Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari’s objective is to close the remaining performance deficit to the Mercedes power unit through the ADUO development tokens that can be used at the beginning of 2027.
For Charles Leclerc, the conclusion is therefore not that ADUO-2 failed to meet expectations. Ferrari made the improvement it anticipated, but Monza exposed just how much more progress is required before the Scuderia can eliminate its remaining power-unit disadvantage.
