Ferrari needs to introduce its second ADUO power unit upgrade at Monza after the SF-26’s limitations on long straights became evident at Spa-Francorchamps. Reports that began circulating yesterday suggest Mercedes may also choose the Italian Grand Prix to deploy its first and only ADUO development, potentially intensifying the battle between the two teams at Ferrari’s home race.
Mercedes may have no urgent technical need to introduce its upgrade at Monza, but doing so at its rival’s home event would provide another opportunity to demonstrate its performance advantage.
Ferrari power unit limitations emerged at Spa-Francorchamps
Ferrari was forced to acknowledge the limitations of its power unit at Spa-Francorchamps in July. The Belgian circuit’s length and extremely long straights create a lap with high energy demands, preventing Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc from competing for victory after a relatively subdued qualifying performance.
The situation improved during the race, with Charles Leclerc eventually finishing second and approximately two seconds behind Kimi Antonelli. However, the way the race unfolded suggested Kimi Antonelli had considerably more performance available had he chosen to exploit the full potential of the Mercedes power unit.
If Ferrari struggled in qualifying at Spa, the problem is expected to become even more pronounced at Monza, Formula 1’s Temple of Speed. Despite its long straights, the Belgian circuit at least features a substantial middle sector in which the drivers can recharge their batteries. There will be even fewer opportunities to recover energy around the Italian circuit before deploying it along Monza’s demanding straights.
Why Ferrari needs its Monza ADUO upgrade
Those at Maranello understand that arriving at the Italian Grand Prix without the second ADUO upgrade for the SF-26 cars of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc would be like racing at Monza with punctured tyres. That is a scenario the Scuderia must avoid at its home event.
Ferrari therefore needs to benefit from this “free” upgrade, which is expected to include an improvement in turbine efficiency. The team has already intensified reliability testing for its planned Monza engine development, underlining the importance of making the new specification available without compromising reliability.
The power unit step would also form part of the aggressive development approach Charles Leclerc wants Ferrari to maintain. The Monegasque has urged the Maranello team to keep pushing with its 2026 upgrades as it attempts to strengthen its challenge during the second half of the campaign.
Monza is also a strategic opportunity for Mercedes
Mercedes has not yet used its first and only ADUO development. The German team does not necessarily need to deploy it at Monza and could make the new specification available to its drivers at one of the subsequent rounds. However, its Constructors’ Championship contest with Ferrari is clearly becoming more intense.
Beyond the prestige of presenting itself as the fastest team, a potential Monza introduction points to two possible motivations. The first would be to prevent Ferrari from closing too much of the gap if the Scuderia’s second ADUO step proves effective. The second would be based entirely on the strategic demands of the remaining calendar.
The Dutch Grand Prix marks the beginning of the second part of the championship, with another 12 races scheduled following the inclusion of the Bahrain Grand Prix, recovered in Malaysia. Monza, Azerbaijan and Sepang all feature demanding straights, making it particularly important for each team to provide its drivers with the best available power unit specification for those three events. The complete sequence of rounds can be followed through the 2026 Formula 1 calendar.
ADUO timing could influence development for 2027
Monza could therefore represent the ideal opportunity for Mercedes to use its ADUO allowance. Introducing the upgrade there would effectively divide the second half of the championship into two development phases.
Towards the end of the season, the teams are expected to introduce another update to verify that they are following the correct development direction. The information gathered from that specification could then guide the work carried out over the winter ahead of the following Formula 1 season.
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