The FIA has revised its 2027 Formula 1 power unit regulations, increasing the mileage allowance for specified testing activities and introducing stricter conditions for homologating ADUO engine upgrades. The updated rules, published on 19 October, also establish revised power-related limits for 2027 and 2028, alongside further technical requirements affecting power unit components and materials.
For Ferrari and the other Formula 1 power unit manufacturers, the changes affect more than the wording of the regulations. They clarify which development activities fall within the Power Unit Supply Perimeter, introduce a requirement for ADUO upgrades to be used during a championship race session and determine how manufacturers must manage components and fluids after introducing an updated specification.
FIA expands 2027 F1 power unit testing mileage to 6,500 km
One of the most significant amendments concerns the activities included within the Power Unit Supply Perimeter, known as PUSP. The FIA has modified Table 2 on page 255 of the regulations, adding a new activity under item 85 and increasing the annual mileage associated with the relevant testing provisions.
Alongside TCC tests and the DE and PE activities involving a current car, the updated table explicitly includes testing a complete car, with its power unit installed, on a dynamometer. The car used for this activity must be intended either for the championship currently taking place or for a future season.
The mileage allowance covering activities 85.ii, 85.iii and 85.iv increases from 5,000 to 6,500 kilometres per calendar year. That represents an additional 1,500 kilometres within the specified PUSP framework.
Importantly, this is a change to the mileage included within the defined power unit supply perimeter. It does not automatically give manufacturers or teams permission to complete an additional 1,500 kilometres of conventional on-track testing. The amendment instead broadens the activities recognised by the regulations and explicitly accounts for complete-car dynamometer running.
The clarification forms part of the FIA’s wider work on the 2027 and 2028 Formula 1 power unit regulations, which are introducing successive adjustments to the technical framework governing manufacturers.
F1 2027 ADUO rules introduce a mandatory race-use condition
Another important revision concerns Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities, or ADUO, the system governing certain permitted power unit specification improvements.
The FIA has added new wording to Article 3.3 of Appendix C5, the section covering power unit homologation and development. Under this provision, the homologation of an ADUO specification upgrade depends on the relevant upgraded elements being used in at least one race session during the championship to which the upgrade applies.
Consequently, obtaining homologation for an upgraded specification is no longer solely a matter of introducing the new elements through the relevant technical procedure. Their use during a championship race session is also a required condition.
This creates a clearer link between the ADUO homologation process and the actual deployment of the upgraded power unit elements. For manufacturers planning their development programmes, the timing of an introduction must therefore take this requirement into account.
The change is particularly relevant to teams already working with the ADUO system. Ferrari’s recent ADUO-2 power unit development illustrates the importance of managing engine specifications within the regulatory opportunities available to manufacturers.
New FIA requirements govern upgraded power unit components and fluids
The FIA has also revised the title of Article 4.4 and introduced Article 4.5 of Appendix C5, establishing further conditions for the application of ADUO upgrades after homologation.
Under the new provision, every new power unit element introduced following the homologation of an ADUO upgrade must comply with the updated specification. This establishes a requirement for newly introduced elements to follow the homologated development rather than reverting to an earlier specification.
The rules contain an additional provision for certain fluids identified in Table 1 of Appendix C4, specifically items 79 to 83. When an ADUO upgrade concerns one of these fluids, only the updated specification may be used in subsequent competitions following its first introduction.
However, the FIA has also provided a route for the continued use of certain previously homologated components and fluids under defined circumstances.
Components outside the sealed perimeter, identified as EXC in column 5 of the relevant table, and fluids from an earlier specification may remain in use on power units corresponding to that earlier specification. This is permitted only following a formal request to the FIA.
The request must be submitted at least 14 days before the competition concerned. It must also contain a declaration confirming that the updated specification is incompatible with the previously homologated power unit.
These conditions are important because they establish how manufacturers can manage earlier homologated configurations after introducing an ADUO update, while maintaining the distinctions between the different specifications.
They also add another procedural consideration to a development process that already requires careful planning. The evolution of the ADUO regulatory framework has become an important issue as Formula 1 prepares for further changes to its power unit rules.
FIA confirms different power-related limits for 2027 and 2028
Alongside the changes to testing and ADUO homologation, the updated regulations introduce adjustments in Appendix C7, which contains technical provisions approved for future championship seasons.
One amendment concerns the overall power reduction limit referenced in Article C5.12.6. For 2027, the maximum is increased from 700 kW to 725 kW. A further adjustment will apply in 2028, when the corresponding limit rises to 750 kW.
The figures therefore represent two distinct regulatory thresholds. The 725 kW value applies to 2027, while the 750 kW value is scheduled for 2028. They should not be treated as interchangeable or presented as a single limit applying across both seasons.
These provisions sit within the broader programme of Formula 1 power unit changes for 2027 and 2028, as the FIA continues to refine the technical framework for the next two championships.
2028 F1 regulations simplify power unit fastener materials
Further changes scheduled for 2028 concern the construction and materials of components within the power unit perimeter.
The relevant amendment appears in Article C15.7.8, on page 279, and establishes simplified requirements for threaded fasteners. Under the general rule, these fasteners must be manufactured using alloys based on cobalt, iron or nickel.
The FIA also prohibits constructing the same fastener from more than one material or alloy. This introduces a clear material restriction for components covered by the provision.
There are, however, specific exceptions. The restrictions do not apply in the same way to fasteners used for electrical insulation, those employed in the PU-CE or fasteners belonging to commercially available components.
For the latter category, the regulations permit materials based on steel, aluminium or copper. These exceptions form part of the approved 2028 provisions and distinguish the general fastener requirements from components with particular applications.
What the revised FIA engine rules mean for Ferrari and F1 manufacturers
Taken together, the latest amendments address several different aspects of Formula 1 power unit development. Manufacturers receive a higher mileage allowance for the specified activities included in the supply perimeter, while the ADUO provisions introduce more explicit requirements governing homologation, deployment and specification management.
For Ferrari, the revisions are relevant to the continued evolution of its power unit programme. The Scuderia must account for the race-use condition attached to ADUO upgrades, the rules concerning newly introduced components and fluids, and the formal procedures required when retaining eligible elements from an earlier specification.
At the same time, the approved changes establish additional technical conditions for 2028, including the higher overall power reduction limit and the revised materials requirements for threaded fasteners.
The result is a more detailed regulatory framework for manufacturers preparing their next power units. Alongside the additional testing mileage included in the PUSP, the FIA has defined how upgraded specifications must be introduced and managed, giving teams a clearer set of requirements to follow as development continues towards 2027 and 2028.
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