The FIA has defended the accuracy of its controversial ADUO engine assessment system while acknowledging that parts of the methodology still need improvement. With Red Bull-Ford identified as the benchmark in the FIA’s evaluation, questions have also emerged over whether rivals Ferrari and Mercedes could deliberately alter their engine usage in an attempt to influence future calculations.
Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA’s Single-Seater Technical Director, has now addressed both concerns. The Greek engineer maintains that the measurements behind the ADUO system are extremely precise, although he accepts that the current framework contains shortcomings which the governing body intends to address.
FIA defends ADUO accuracy despite concerns over the system
ADUO has remained one of Formula 1’s major technical talking points during the summer break, particularly because of the unexpected position of Red Bull-Ford as the benchmark in the FIA assessment. That outcome has generated debate over whether the system accurately reflects the true competitive hierarchy between the manufacturers.
Speaking in an interview published by Motorsport, Tombazis defended the FIA’s measurement parameters and described their accuracy as extremely high. At the same time, he acknowledged that certain aspects of the system are not satisfactory for everyone involved and therefore require further work.
One of the central issues concerns how power is measured. Tombazis explained that the FIA had originally proposed a more sophisticated calculation method capable of accounting for additional factors. However, the manufacturers preferred a simpler framework, leaving the current ADUO evaluation based on a more restricted set of parameters.
Could Ferrari and Mercedes reduce power to influence Red Bull’s ADUO position?
Red Bull-Ford’s status has also created another theoretical concern. If the Milton Keynes manufacturer remains the reference point, rival power unit suppliers could potentially benefit from appearing further away from the benchmark, raising questions over whether teams might intentionally operate below their maximum engine performance.
Tombazis dismissed the idea that such a strategy would make sporting sense. In his assessment, deliberately remaining below maximum power simply to preserve additional development opportunities would defeat the purpose of those concessions if the immediate consequence was preventing a team from challenging at the front.
The FIA therefore does not expect Ferrari, Mercedes or other manufacturers to sacrifice available performance merely to influence their position within the ADUO framework. For Ferrari in particular, the system remains highly relevant as Maranello continues its own power-unit development programme, including the planned 2026 Monza engine upgrade.
FIA could eventually measure the entire Formula 1 power unit
Even while defending the present methodology, Tombazis indicated that the FIA wants to develop the system further. The objective is to reduce both the controversy surrounding ADUO and the amount of time required to administer the process.
One potential direction would involve expanding the measurement beyond the internal combustion engine. Under the current approach, ADUO focuses on ICE performance rather than assessing the complete hybrid power unit. A future system could instead take the performance of the entire power unit into account.
Tombazis, however, chose not to provide further detail about how such an alternative could operate. For now, Formula 1 will continue with the existing method, leaving the FIA to balance the accuracy of its measurements with the simplicity originally preferred by the manufacturers.
The debate is unlikely to disappear while ADUO has the potential to influence the development opportunities available to Formula 1’s engine manufacturers. Red Bull-Ford’s benchmark status has placed the mechanism under particularly intense scrutiny, but the FIA remains confident in the underlying measurements while accepting that the rules themselves can still be refined.
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