Ferrari arrives at Monza with one of its most anticipated technical developments of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The Scuderia has confirmed the introduction of its new ADUO 2 Power Unit specification, developed by taking advantage of the opportunities permitted under the FIA regulations, but the real test will involve much more than simply measuring an increase in peak horsepower.
Riccardo Romanelli, an engineer at Wolf Racing Cars, believes the Italian Grand Prix should be assessed from a broader technical perspective. Monza is not merely an opportunity to determine whether Ferrari has gained power; it is the ideal circuit to establish whether the complete evolution of the Ferrari SF-26 Power Unit is working as intended.
According to Romanelli, the Temple of Speed provides perhaps the most important validation test for the entire Ferrari upgrade.
Why Monza is the perfect test for Ferrari’s ADUO 2 Power Unit
Riccardo Romanelli described Monza as an “excellent opportunity as a final validation test” for ADUO 2. The reason lies in the characteristics of the circuit itself.
Monza is the track where the Power Unit spends the longest period operating under maximum-power conditions. As a result, any engine development is subjected to an intense and sustained examination throughout the lap.
Ferrari has now completed its Power Unit development package and, in Romanelli’s view, introducing it at Monza allows the engineers to evaluate directly on track the work carried out over the previous months. It is therefore an especially favourable opportunity to understand how the upgrade behaves in genuine racing conditions.
Why the ADUO 2 horsepower figure tells only part of the story
One of the most interesting subjects concerns the additional horsepower potentially delivered by ADUO 2. In recent weeks, estimates of a possible increase of around 10 to 15 horsepower have circulated, but Romanelli urges caution when interpreting those numbers.
He points out that the exact power figure is known only by Ferrari’s engine engineers and cannot be determined simply by analysing the information available externally. More importantly, even knowing the precise horsepower increase would not necessarily reveal the most significant benefit of the development.
That distinction changes how Ferrari’s new Power Unit should be judged at Monza. The Scuderia’s latest developments have already generated considerable attention, but the wider Ferrari engine developments for the Italian Grand Prix need to be considered in terms of their complete effect on the SF-26 rather than through one headline number.
How Ferrari can gain performance without a major horsepower increase
Romanelli explains that lap-time improvements can come from several Power Unit characteristics beyond maximum output. An evolved specification can improve:
- torque delivery;
- turbocharger response;
- overall energy management;
- the Power Unit’s total efficiency.
Ferrari could therefore produce a faster car over the course of a lap even if the increase in maximum horsepower is relatively modest. In Romanelli’s analysis, the stopwatch measures the overall performance of the Power Unit rather than simply its peak output.
Ferrari power delivery will be crucial to watch at Monza
It is also worth highlighting how two Power Units can generate almost identical peak power curves yet deliver that performance very differently.
Romanelli uses ADUO 2 as an example. Ferrari’s new specification could allow the engine to sustain its performance more effectively throughout the acceleration phase through different management of the turbocharger and torque curve.
Such an improvement could have a direct impact on lap time without dramatically altering the maximum horsepower figure. For that reason, one of the most important areas to monitor at Monza will be how the SF-26 accelerates rather than simply the ultimate speed it reaches at the end of a straight.
Why the Ferrari turbocharger is central to ADUO 2
Another major element examined by Romanelli is the turbocharger assembly. According to reports cited during the programme, Ferrari is believed to have modified the compressor impeller design and the number of compressor blades.
Romanelli stresses that turbocharger development involves an extremely complex field of fluid dynamics. Even relatively small changes to impeller geometry can improve compression efficiency and influence how effectively the complete forced-induction system operates.
The aim does not necessarily have to be increasing the physical dimensions of the turbocharger. Greater efficiency can instead come from making the existing architecture work more effectively. The reported changes to the compressor form a central part of Ferrari’s ADUO 2 turbocharger development.
Ferrari may gain more from efficiency than outright power
Romanelli repeatedly emphasises one fundamental point: Power Unit efficiency is the parameter that truly matters to the designers.
A more efficient compressor can improve engine behaviour without producing a revolutionary increase in peak power. According to the technical analysis, Ferrari may have concentrated precisely on this area, seeking more effective turbocharger operation across its working map.
That approach would also be consistent with the broader philosophy behind Ferrari’s 2026 Power Unit. Rather than judging the update solely by maximum output, the objective is to understand whether the complete system operates more efficiently across the conditions encountered during a lap.
ADUO 2 also includes new energy-management software
The development is not limited to mechanical components. Romanelli notes that the latest specification also includes an update to the energy-management software, an increasingly important element because the electrical component is an integral part of modern Formula 1 Power Unit performance.
Energy distribution around the lap, or deployment, now plays a decisive role. Improving that management means using the available electrical energy more effectively during the different phases of a lap.
Ferrari has already worked specifically on this subject for the Italian Grand Prix, including new hybrid mappings designed to maximise the ADUO 2 package at Monza.
Monza will reveal Ferrari’s true energy-management progress
Romanelli directly connects this revised Power Unit management with the characteristics of Monza. The circuit provides an opportunity to assess whether Ferrari can make better use of its available energy along the straights and during the recovery phases.
That, according to the engineer, will be one of the most technically interesting aspects of the Italian Grand Prix weekend. The updated Power Unit needs to demonstrate not only greater performance but also improved efficiency in the overall management of electrical energy.
What Honda’s development shows about Ferrari’s challenge
Romanelli also refers to Honda’s Power Unit development as a useful comparison. In his analysis, Honda was the manufacturer with the greatest scope for development and has already introduced a significant update.
However, comments from within Aston Martin have suggested that the increase in engine performance did not completely transform the competitiveness of the car. For Romanelli, this reinforces a clear conclusion: the largest overall performance gains often come from achieving the right balance between the engine, aerodynamics and energy management.
Ferrari must therefore be assessed as a complete package rather than simply through the performance of its internal combustion engine.
Ferrari continues developing the Power Unit without changing direction
Romanelli views Ferrari’s decision to continue with its development programme positively. In his opinion, completing ADUO 2 demonstrates Maranello’s intention to continue pursuing a clearly defined technical direction while incorporating the experience collected throughout the season.
He also notes that Formula 1 teams must be prepared to change direction when a concept is not working. If Ferrari is continuing to develop this Power Unit architecture, the implication is that the data collected so far continues to support the chosen approach.
Monza therefore represents the first major on-track confirmation of that work. The real examination of Ferrari’s new Power Unit concerns the efficiency of the complete system: the turbocharger, power delivery, energy management and engine behaviour throughout the lap.
If the SF-26 demonstrates more sustained acceleration, improved deployment management and more effective Power Unit behaviour at Monza, Ferrari will have achieved something potentially more significant than a simple increase in horsepower: a coherent technical evolution of the project developed at Maranello. Further analysis of the programme can be found in our Ferrari technical analysis coverage.
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