Ferrari’s new ADUO2 Power Unit specification became one of the biggest talking points among Ferrari fans after the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The upgrade had been eagerly anticipated as the first significant step towards reducing the gap to Mercedes, yet the race result inevitably raised questions about how much progress Maranello had actually made and whether expectations surrounding the new specification had simply become too high.
A technical analysis by Undercut offers a more detailed picture. Rather than suggesting that Ferrari’s development failed, the Monza data indicates an improvement while also revealing that the SF-26’s performance deficit cannot be explained solely by the output of the internal combustion engine. Race pace, electrical energy deployment and battery management all played an important role in determining the final picture.
Monza was the ideal test for Ferrari’s ADUO2 engine
Monza represented an almost perfect circuit on which to assess Ferrari’s latest Power Unit development. Few tracks place such sustained demands on the engine, with long straights, very high speeds and electrical energy management becoming critical lap after lap.
That made the Italian Grand Prix a particularly revealing test of the Ferrari SF-26 Power Unit and its ADUO2 development. Ferrari did show signs of improvement, but the behaviour of the SF-26 throughout the weekend painted a considerably more complicated picture than the final result alone might suggest.
At Monza, outright combustion-engine performance was only one part of the equation. The ability to recover, store and deploy electrical energy efficiently could have an equally significant effect on performance, particularly towards the second half of the circuit’s long straights.
Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon comparison offers an ADUO2 clue
One of the most interesting parts of the analysis comes from comparing the two Ferrari-powered Haas cars driven by Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon. Their recorded speeds are examined in an attempt to isolate the effect of Ferrari’s ADUO2 upgrade.
Particular attention is given to the straight following the Ascari chicane. In that section, Oliver Bearman showed an advantage of approximately 5–6 km/h over Esteban Ocon. That comparison provides the basis for a technical estimate of how much performance Ferrari may have recovered with its latest Power Unit specification.
The figures therefore suggest that the upgrade produced an improvement. However, Ferrari’s broader Monza energy-deployment difficulties help explain why additional Power Unit performance did not automatically translate into the race result many Ferrari supporters had hoped to see.
Did Lewis Hamilton really have McLaren’s race pace?
Lewis Hamilton’s Italian Grand Prix is another important element of the analysis. Looking beyond his final finishing position, the Ferrari driver was able to remain close to the McLarens during the opening phase of the race.
The picture changed as the Grand Prix developed. Tyre management became increasingly important, while Lewis Hamilton’s repeated battles with Oscar Piastri compromised the SF-26’s strategy and made it more difficult to maintain the pace seen during the earlier stints.
As a result, the final classification did not completely reflect the speed Ferrari had demonstrated during the first part of the race. The Monza weekend therefore needs to be assessed through more than the finishing positions alone when judging the effectiveness of the latest development.
Ferrari’s real weakness was not only the combustion engine
One of the most important technical points concerns the distinction between the internal combustion engine and the electrical side of the Power Unit. Maximum V6 output is important, but battery management and electrical deployment can be just as decisive under Formula 1’s current technical framework.
It was in this area that Mercedes appeared to retain a clear advantage during the Italian Grand Prix. How efficiently electrical energy can be released throughout a lap determines whether a driver continues accelerating strongly towards the end of a straight or begins to lose part of that performance advantage before the braking zone.
This distinction is essential when analysing Ferrari’s progress. An improvement to ADUO2 does not necessarily mean that the entire performance deficit disappears, because the Power Unit operates as an integrated system. Combustion performance, energy recovery, battery management and deployment strategy all contribute to what the driver ultimately experiences on track.
These areas have become an increasingly important part of Ferrari SF-26 technical analysis during the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Why Kimi Antonelli was so difficult to beat at Monza
Kimi Antonelli’s victory can also be examined from this technical perspective. Mercedes demonstrated particularly effective energy management throughout the race, with the advantage becoming especially noticeable during overtaking situations and in the latter sections of Monza’s straights.
Comparing the Mercedes W17 with Ferrari’s SF-26 therefore helps explain where part of the performance difference originated. The advantage was not simply a question of peak engine power but also of how effectively Mercedes could use its available energy throughout the lap and over the duration of the Grand Prix.
That helps explain why the Ferrari ADUO2 upgrade can still represent genuine progress even though Mercedes remained ahead at one of the most Power Unit-sensitive circuits on the Formula 1 calendar.
What Ferrari can learn from ADUO2 after Monza
Monza ultimately provided important information about Ferrari’s work with ADUO2. The comparison between the Ferrari-powered cars suggests that performance has been recovered, while Lewis Hamilton’s early race pace showed that the SF-26 was capable of remaining much closer to the front than the final result might initially imply.
At the same time, the Italian Grand Prix exposed the importance of the complete Power Unit package. Ferrari still has work to do not only in terms of combustion-engine performance but also in electrical deployment and energy management, areas in which Mercedes appeared particularly strong at Monza.
The next round of the championship will therefore provide another important reference. A circuit with characteristics very different from the Temple of Speed should offer a clearer indication of how much Ferrari’s ADUO2 development can influence the overall competitiveness of the SF-26 away from Monza’s unusually demanding combination of long straights and sustained energy deployment.
The lessons gathered in Italy could also become important beyond the immediate race weekends, with Ferrari already considering how its Power Unit concept could evolve for 2027.
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