Kilometres covered by Ferrari power units ahead of ADUO
These are particularly intense days for Formula 1 despite the absence of a race weekend. The FIA has yet to deliver its final verdict regarding ADUO, the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities framework introduced to allow struggling engine manufacturers to continue developing and upgrading their power units.
The system has already generated considerable debate throughout the paddock. According to long-standing rumours circulating within Formula 1, the internal combustion engine developed by Red Bull Powertrains in partnership with Ford currently represents the benchmark in the category.
If confirmed, such a scenario would be surprising, but only to a certain extent. The metric used to grant additional homologations, extra dyno hours and increased Budget Cap allowances remains controversial. Evaluating a power unit solely on the performance of its internal combustion engine does not necessarily provide a complete picture of the competitive order.
It should be noted, however, that this methodology was previously discussed and agreed upon with the various power unit manufacturers.
The prevailing assumption throughout much of the paddock had been that Mercedes possessed the strongest overall power unit, largely because of the Silver Arrows’ dominance during the opening phase of the season, combined with the respectable performances of customer teams like McLaren and, in particular, Alpine. Red Bull’s response was swift. According to team principal Laurent Mekies, the preliminary findings distributed by the FIA do not align with several key performance indicators.
As a result, the French manager believes Formula 1’s governing body should either revise or expand its analysis before reaching a final conclusion. The stakes are enormous because the ADUO mechanism has the potential to significantly alter the competitive hierarchy seen on track so far this season.
For Scuderia Ferrari, ADUO represents an opportunity to address what has often been described as the power deficit of its current power unit. Should the FIA issue its decision early next week, the historic Italian team could introduce the third specification of the 067/6 power unit at the Austrian Grand Prix, incorporating any development allowances granted under the ADUO framework.
That naturally raises an important question: how many kilometres have the first two Ferrari power units used by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc accumulated up to the Spanish Grand Prix?
By calculating all laps completed by Ferrari’s two drivers across the first seven rounds of the championship, it is possible to estimate the mileage accumulated by the two power units currently homologated for the SF-26. Both cars received their second complete power unit package during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend. Since then, it is reasonable to assume that Power Unit 1 has mainly been used during free practice sessions, while Power Unit 2 has been reserved for all competitive sessions where points or grid positions were at stake.
Because it has covered relatively limited mileage, the second power unit is expected to continue being used strategically throughout future race weekends, while the first unit will likely handle a significant share of free practice running until the end of its service life.
Last season’s power units averaged approximately 4,500 kilometres of usage. Reaching the eighth round of the championship using only a single power unit has proven impossible for all manufacturers under the current regulations.
According to Article B8.2 – Power Unit Limitations & Usage of the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations, teams are normally permitted to use the following maximum number of components per season:
3 Internal Combustion Engines (ICE)
3 Turbochargers (TC)
3 Exhaust Systems (EXH)
2 Energy Stores (ES)
2 Power Unit Control Electronics (PU-CE)
2 MGU-K units
5 Power Unit Ancillary Components (PU-ANC)
However, because 2026 marks the first season of a new technical cycle, the regulations grant every driver one additional component in each category. This increases the limits to:
4 ICEs
4 Turbochargers
4 Exhaust System sets
3 Energy Stores
3 Power Unit Control Electronics
3 MGU-K units
6 Power Unit Ancillary Components
For this season, a further exception has been introduced for manufacturers entering the new regulatory cycle for the first time, such as Ford and Audi. These manufacturers are permitted one additional unit in each category to support their development efforts.
The FIA also retains the authority to revise these limits if widespread reliability concerns emerge during the course of the season, providing additional flexibility should technical challenges prove more severe than anticipated.
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