Ferrari is completing the final durability tests on its updated ADUO 2 engine ahead of the planned debut at Monza, with a significant turbo change forming a key part of the Scuderia’s attempt to address one of the SF-26’s main weaknesses. Maranello returned from Zandvoort with a result well below the expectations that had developed in recent weeks, while the car’s power unit deficit compared with its main rivals once again proved costly.
Ferrari is therefore putting considerable importance on the upgrade scheduled for its home race. The SF-26 has suffered significantly from a lack of power and available energy compared with Mercedes and McLaren, an issue that was particularly evident during the Ferrari power unit struggles at Zandvoort. In the Netherlands, the car was capable of producing very strong race pace, but whenever it arrived behind a Mercedes or McLaren, it took a long time to create even a small opportunity to overtake.
Tyre management was also very good, but that alone was not enough to compensate for the deficit. Strategy errors then had a major impact on the Dutch Grand Prix for both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Attention now turns towards ADUO 2 and the updated Ferrari power unit that could give the team a more competitive platform for the next phase of the season.
Ferrari ADUO 2 engine upgrade: why the turbo matters beyond horsepower
According to AutoRacer.it, Ferrari is close to completing the durability tests on the new engine, which is being prepared for its debut at Monza. The specification incorporating the ADUO 2 improvements will feature a larger turbine and a new compressor, together with further changes to several auxiliary components.
A gain of around 10 horsepower is expected, but extracting additional peak power is not the only objective. Ferrari also wants to improve the engine’s overall efficiency and use the turbocharger differently, making the forthcoming Monza power unit upgrade potentially important across a much broader range of conditions.
With the 2026 Formula 1 power units, outright horsepower is only one part of the equation. How the power unit operates and interacts with the rest of the car is equally significant. Improving that relationship could give Ferrari a wider performance window, particularly in qualifying, when extracting the maximum available energy and performance over a single lap becomes especially important.
Why Ferrari is introducing a larger turbo for the rest of 2026
The increased turbo dimensions are intended to improve efficiency at high speeds and could prove particularly valuable at circuits that would otherwise have presented serious difficulties for Ferrari with its current architecture. Mexico is highlighted as one example where the revised solution could make an important difference.
Ferrari encountered something similar in Austria, where ADUO 1 made its debut. On that occasion, the package was limited by cooling requirements and the need to use more conservative engine mappings because of the circuit’s altitude above sea level.
The ADUO 2 update should also be made available to Ferrari’s customer teams if they choose to use the new specification. For Maranello, however, the immediate priority is completing its development programme without delays and arriving as well prepared as possible for the 2026 Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
Ferrari already working on another SF-26 upgrade package
The engine is not the end of Ferrari’s development programme. A fourth SF-26 upgrade package is already being worked on and is expected to make its debut during the autumn, as the Scuderia continues trying to extract more performance from its 2026 car.
Ferrari’s decision not to continue developing the SF-25 towards the end of last season also left more money available for the SF-26 project. That has allowed Maranello to continue pushing its development programme throughout the current campaign rather than bringing it to an early halt.
Much will depend on how effectively the new components perform once they reach the track, but ADUO 2 could become one of Ferrari’s most important upgrades of the season. The expected horsepower gain should help, yet the revised turbocharger, improved efficiency and wider operating window could prove even more valuable as Ferrari attempts to reduce the gap to Mercedes and McLaren over the remaining races.
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