According to Corriere della Sera, Scuderia Ferrari has marked the Barcelona weekend on the calendar as a key milestone for the long-awaited power unit enhancement.
Ferrari: a power unit in need of improvement
During the first three races of the 2026 F1 season, Mercedes’ power unit has clearly shown superiority over Ferrari’s engine. This gap has been acknowledged both by Ferrari’s drivers and team principal Frederic Vasseur. However, the French manager emphasized that the team cannot introduce a new engine just yet: “We definitely have a deficit on the straights, but this is almost frozen until the ADUO becomes available.”
The ADUO—the FIA-authorized development and upgrade system granted based on the gap from the reference power unit—has caused some confusion among Ferrari drivers. Lewis Hamilton expressed hope for a new engine by Miami, whereas Charles Leclerc ruled this out: “Obviously, we cannot bring anything engine-related to Miami; we will focus on the rest.”
Waiting on the ADUO
Leclerc’s observation appears to be the more accurate one. The ADUO is unlocked by the FIA and, by regulation, should take effect after “GP6.” The issue is complicated by the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian rounds being removed from the calendar. Does GP6 refer to the originally planned sixth race—Miami—or the sixth race actually held, which would be Monaco? Autosprint has also suggested a potential compromise: implementing upgrades after the Canadian GP on May 24.
Regardless, Ferrari will certainly not have a new engine in Miami, much to Lewis Hamilton’s disappointment.
When will the Ferrari engine arrive?
For drivers and fans alike, the wait for Ferrari’s engine upgrade could be quite long. The Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera reports that the “enhanced” engine is expected “in mid-June in Barcelona,” aligning with the Spanish Grand Prix weekend of June 14-16. This corresponds to roughly a third of the season, after the sixth race.
Of course, all of this is theoretical, pending decisions on the future of F1 during the FIA-team meeting in London on April 9. Meanwhile, Maranello will focus on optimizing the car’s energy management through software and algorithms, hoping to find performance gains even before the engine upgrade, starting in Miami.
As the paddock heads toward the next round, the tension between technical innovation and pure racing continues to pull at the fabric of the sport. Whether the FIA will pivot toward the fans’ demands or stick to its current trajectory remains the billion-dollar question. One thing is certain: the results on the track are now only half the story, as the real race is being run in the design offices and boardroom meetings that will define the future of the 2026 era.
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