Ferrari’s ADUO 2 engine delivered the expected performance gain at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, but the data emerging from Monza qualifying also made one point clear: the Scuderia has not yet completely erased its Power Unit deficit to Mercedes. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton eventually secured third and fourth on the grid following Oscar Piastri’s penalty, although both Ferrari drivers came dangerously close to elimination in Q2.
The Maranello team arrived at its home Grand Prix with an upgraded engine thanks to the second development step permitted under the ADUO programme. Expectations surrounding the Ferrari ADUO 2 upgrade at Monza were understandably high, particularly on a circuit where Power Unit performance is so important. Qualifying, however, provided a more nuanced verdict: the development has clearly moved Ferrari forward, but Mercedes still appears to have an advantage when maximum performance is required over a single lap.
Ferrari ADUO 2 engine could have made the difference between Q2 and Q3
Both Ferrari cars were at genuine risk of failing to reach Q3. Lewis Hamilton survived the cut by just one thousandth of a second over Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi, while Charles Leclerc also endured a difficult Q2.
Frederic Vasseur and Charles Leclerc explained that Ferrari encountered battery-related problems, while another mistake came from being among the first cars to leave the pits and consequently being unable to take advantage of a slipstream. At Monza, the tow can be worth between three and four tenths of a second, making track position particularly important during qualifying.
Charles Leclerc subsequently detailed the Ferrari Power Unit energy-management problems in qualifying, an issue that became especially significant during the decisive stages of Q2.
The SF-26 nevertheless showed its familiar strengths through the corners and under braking, but those qualities alone were not enough. Strong Q3 laps from Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton helped rescue Ferrari’s qualifying session, with the competitiveness of the chassis again playing an important role. Oscar Piastri’s subsequent grid penalty then promoted both Ferrari drivers onto the second row.
That inevitably raises the question of whether more should have been expected from ADUO 2. The evidence from Monza suggests the upgrade did what Ferrari required of it, even if it was never going to eliminate the entire gap to Mercedes in one step.
‘Without the second ADUO upgrade, Leclerc and Hamilton would not have made Q3’
Federico Albano offered a particularly clear assessment of Ferrari’s situation in his post-qualifying analysis for FormulaPassion.it.
“The first aspect concerns the original weakness of Ferrari’s 2026 Power Unit, which remains evident. In the year when the engine matters more than ever, and at the circuit where power matters most of all, the SF-26 starts from a base that is by far the least competitive among the top teams. Without the second ADUO upgrade, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton would not have made it through Q2, because that was simply the performance level of the Power Unit before the latest developments.”
The underlying power deficit is linked primarily to decisions made during the development of Ferrari’s engine amid reliability concerns surrounding the architecture originally conceived by Wolf Zimmermann. Under Enrico Gualtieri and his Power Unit department, Ferrari opted for an internal combustion engine with similarities to its 2025 concept, but one that offers relatively limited development opportunities.
ADUO 2 has nevertheless produced a meaningful step forward. Ferrari has reduced the deficit, even though it has not yet achieved Power Unit parity with Mercedes. The technical objectives behind the upgrade had already been evident in Ferrari’s SF-26 Power Unit development for Monza, where outright horsepower is only one part of the performance equation.
Ferrari remains behind Mercedes despite ADUO 2 progress
“Being only a few tenths away from pole and even being able to think about fighting for something in the race at Monza is, overall, a result that is in line with expectations, despite a terribly messy Q3,” Albano explained.
As highlighted by the qualifying laps themselves, driver performance also made an important difference. Charles Leclerc produced an excellent opening Q3 attempt, while Lewis Hamilton delivered his strongest lap on his second run. Combined with the strong chassis characteristics of the SF-26, those performances allowed Ferrari to remain close to the front despite its Power Unit disadvantage.
Ferrari therefore has not caught Mercedes in terms of engine performance. Monza qualifying instead highlighted once again the additional power available to the German manufacturer when everything is turned up for a single flying lap.
That also means expectations of Ferrari locking out the front row at its home Grand Prix were unrealistic before qualifying even began. Third and fourth after Oscar Piastri’s penalty are nevertheless valuable starting positions for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton ahead of the race.
Ferrari had already arrived at Monza combining its engine development with further work on the SF-26, with Charles Leclerc assessing the engine and floor upgrades prepared for the Italian GP before the weekend.
Can the Ferrari SF-26 challenge the Mercedes W17 in the race?
Over a race distance, the SF-26 should be closer to the Mercedes W17 in terms of pace. One of the major questions will be how the cars behave in traffic and whether Ferrari’s rivals retain a meaningful top-speed advantage when running in the pack.
“The execution in Q3 was anything but perfect, but the reality is that it was practically the same for everyone,” Albano concluded. “In the general chaos, Ferrari ultimately finished more or less where its potential suggested, immediately behind George Russell. The only driver who put everything together without making a mistake was Pierre Gasly, and that is exactly why he will start ahead of everyone.”
Ferrari ADUO 2 reportedly delivers around 15 horsepower
According to AutoRacer.it, ADUO 2 produced the results Ferrari had expected, delivering an overall gain of around 15 horsepower. Approximately 10 horsepower came from the changes associated with the turbo, while another five horsepower were obtained through new software.
The turbocharger had been one of the key areas targeted by Ferrari, with the ADUO 2 turbo development aimed at improving the efficiency of the complete Power Unit package rather than simply chasing a headline horsepower figure.
The significance of that improvement should not be underestimated. Without the upgrade, Ferrari would have been at risk of seeing both cars eliminated in Q2 at Monza. Instead, the development has brought the Scuderia closer to its main rivals and allowed it to remain in contention thanks also to the SF-26’s excellent chassis and aerodynamic qualities.
ADUO 2 has therefore not transformed Ferrari into the outright Power Unit benchmark, but qualifying at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix suggests it has achieved its fundamental objective: reducing a major weakness sufficiently for the strengths elsewhere in the SF-26 package to make a meaningful difference.
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