Why does Ferrari continue to struggle in qualifying even with the new ADUO2 power unit? It is a question many supporters asked after the Madrid Grand Prix, where the SF-26 showed competitive race pace but once again confirmed its difficulties over a single lap.
Engineer Riccardo Romanelli addressed precisely this issue, explaining why the debate surrounding ADUO2 risks focusing on the wrong aspect. The key question is not simply how much extra horsepower Ferrari has gained, but how the power unit uses electrical energy throughout the lap. According to ScuderiaFans.com’s technical analysis, this is now one of the areas where a significant part of the difference between Ferrari and Mercedes is being created.
Ferrari ADUO2 vs ADUO1: two evolutions of the same power unit
ADUO is the system introduced by the FIA in 2026 to allow engine manufacturers that had fallen behind to continue developing their power units during the season. Ferrari was granted two opportunities to update its package, first introducing ADUO1 and then ADUO2.
One point needs to be made clear immediately: ADUO2 is not a completely new engine. It is an evolution of the same power unit used by the SF-26, with changes permitted under the FIA regulations across different elements of the hybrid system and internal combustion engine.
The real question, therefore, is not whether Ferrari has replaced its engine concept, but where the development work has been concentrated. The differences between the two specifications have already become an important technical subject, with previous analysis of Ferrari’s ADUO2 performance in Madrid showing why outright engine output alone does not tell the whole story.
Why focusing only on Ferrari’s combustion engine is misleading
One of the most interesting points raised by Riccardo Romanelli concerns exactly this issue. The engineer believes too much attention is being placed on the gain produced by the internal combustion side of Ferrari’s power unit.
ADUO2 does include an improvement to the combustion engine, but the increase is understood to be limited to only a few horsepower. On its own, such a gain cannot explain or eliminate the qualifying deficit Ferrari continues to show compared with the strongest power units on the grid.
Riccardo Romanelli stresses that a 2026 Formula 1 power unit can no longer be assessed purely by looking at the maximum output of the turbocharged V6. The electrical component has become decisive to the overall performance of the car, particularly in the way power can be sustained across different parts of the lap.
Energy deployment is the real performance difference
The 2026 Formula 1 regulations have fundamentally changed how power units are used. The electrical system is not simply there to add extra power. It determines when that power is available and, crucially, how long the additional contribution can be maintained.
This is known as deployment: the distribution of electrical energy over the course of a lap.
According to Riccardo Romanelli, some power units are capable of maintaining electrical assistance almost all the way to the braking point, while others exhaust the MGU-K contribution dozens of metres earlier. When that happens, the driver suddenly has only the combustion engine available during the final section of the straight.
It can be almost invisible when watching on television, but the effect on the stopwatch can amount to several hundredths of a second on each straight. That is why straight-line performance cannot be judged only through peak speed figures; the timing and continuity of energy delivery are equally important.
Why Mercedes remains the power unit reference
Madrid is not the ideal circuit on which to evaluate pure engine power. The layout does not feature long straights or major acceleration zones from very low speeds. Even so, one pattern continues to repeat itself.
Mercedes-powered cars remain consistently near the front, both through the works Mercedes team and McLaren. Riccardo Romanelli therefore reaches a clear conclusion: the advantage of the Mercedes power unit appears to lie primarily in electrical energy management and in its ability to distribute that energy effectively throughout the lap.
Ferrari has reduced part of the deficit with ADUO2, but it has not yet reached the same level of efficiency in the way the hybrid component is used. The importance of this area will become even clearer at circuits with more demanding acceleration zones, particularly with the energy deployment challenge awaiting Ferrari in Baku.
Madrid shows Ferrari’s problem is not simply engine power
Another important clue emerged from the Madrid race itself. Charles Leclerc completed an extremely long stint on his starting tyres while maintaining competitive pace, without suffering the significant performance collapse that Ferrari had experienced in other situations in the past.
According to Riccardo Romanelli, that suggests the SF-26 has solved several structural problems related to car and tyre management. Had degradation been excessive, Charles Leclerc would have lost positions rapidly. Instead, the car remained competitive over the race distance.
The Madrid weekend therefore reinforced the contrast between Ferrari’s race performance and its single-lap weakness. A deeper look at the Spanish Grand Prix technical picture and Ferrari’s race pace also highlighted how the SF-26 could perform more convincingly over longer runs than its qualifying position suggested.
The main problem consequently remains qualifying, where a deficit of only a few tenths can translate into three or four positions on the starting grid. Ferrari’s SF-26 setup compromise at Madring added another layer to that problem, because overall lap performance depends on far more than the power unit alone.
ADUO2 improves Ferrari’s power unit but does not change the 2026 hierarchy
One conclusion is repeatedly emphasised: ADUO2 is not a game changer.
Power unit updates can alter the competitive picture slightly, but they cannot overturn an entire season once it is already well under way. The differences between manufacturers now depend on a combination of factors, including electrical energy management, power unit software, integration with active aerodynamics and the behaviour of the car itself.
That helps explain why Ferrari can make genuine progress without the lap time immediately revealing an obvious step forward. A small increase in combustion-engine output may exist, but the full benefit depends on how effectively the complete system works together.
Why deployment can now decide the lap time
Riccardo Romanelli uses a simple example to explain the importance of electrical deployment. A Formula 1 car can reach the final metres of a straight with all of its available power still being delivered, or it can suddenly lose the electrical contribution before the braking zone.
In the second situation, the driver is still accelerating, but with significantly less power available. The difference may only last for a relatively short period, yet repeated across several acceleration zones it becomes relevant to the final lap time.
This continuity of power delivery is increasingly what separates the strongest power units on the grid. Maximum horsepower still matters, but how that power is distributed through every phase of the lap now matters even more. Previous Ferrari ADUO2 telemetry analysis ahead of Baku has similarly focused on how circuit characteristics can determine whether the newer specification can exploit its strengths.
Ferrari ADUO2 development also looks beyond 2026
With ADUO2, Ferrari has used one of the development opportunities provided by the FIA regulations. The objective is not only to recover performance during the 2026 season, but also to build experience with the new generation of Formula 1 power units.
According to ScuderiaFans.com’s analysis, the updates introduced now are primarily part of a continuing refinement of energy management, an area expected to remain increasingly important over the coming seasons. Ferrari’s broader work on the SF-26, power unit and related technical development can also be followed through the Ferrari technical analysis section.
ADUO2 therefore does not suddenly transform the Ferrari SF-26 into the fastest car on the grid. The improvement to the internal combustion side of the power unit is real but limited. The much more important development battleground lies in the management and deployment of electrical energy, and that is where Ferrari still has ground to recover if it wants to close the remaining gap to the benchmark.
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