The FIA is finalizing its calculations and is expected to communicate ADUO development concessions to manufacturers ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix. The allocation of these benefits will be determined by the average performance values recorded across the first five races of the season, taking into account the best-performing car from each works manufacturer and customer team.
Although the internal combustion engine (ICE) serves as the benchmark used to determine whether a manufacturer qualifies for ADUO status, the 2026 regulations allow upgrades to be made across a much broader range of power unit components.
The areas eligible for modification are outlined in Table 1 of Appendix C4 of the FIA 2026 Technical Regulations.
Permitted upgrades cover a wide variety of major components within the ICE, as well as elements of the exhaust system and turbocharger. Teams may also revise parts of the Energy Recovery System (ERS), including associated cooling systems. Development work can be carried out on the MGU-K, vehicle control electronics, certain hydraulic functions, operating fluids, and ballast-related elements.
However, components classified as standard parts remain frozen. These include items such as the high-pressure fuel pump and most of the standard monitoring sensors used throughout the power unit.
The 2026 column of the FIA table currently shows only green check marks because every manufacturer introduced the new 50/50 hybrid architecture required by the regulations. Once the FIA issues its official notification, which is scheduled to take place within 15 days of the Canadian Grand Prix, a manufacturer may receive one or two homologation opportunities covering both the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
Any approved upgrades can be grouped together under a single homologation package and introduced either at the first available race or at a later stage chosen by the team, provided they are declared before the final race of the season. Timing is also a critical factor. The more extensive the development programme a manufacturer wishes to pursue, the more time and financial resources it will need to invest, meaning the upgraded components will inevitably arrive later on track.
When a manufacturer qualifies for ADUO status, a number of components currently marked in red within the 2027 column become unlocked and effectively switch to green. Standardized parts remain excluded, and any component that is still marked in red within the final ADUO column remains strictly off-limits.
During this first season of the regulations, the additional opportunities granted to ADUO manufacturers mainly concern the physical architecture of the internal combustion engine, ranging from the engine block itself to water and oil pumping systems. Even so, all manufacturers will retain the ability to update certain areas, including the turbocharger, plenum chamber, and some 2027 intake system components.
Perhaps even more significant are the opportunities available on the electrical side of the power unit. Manufacturers granted ADUO concessions will be able to improve virtually all major ERS components, including the electric motor-generator unit (MGU-K) and the battery system.
After homologation, every component receives an identification number to ensure compliance with the so-called component pool regulations. Exceeding the permitted allocation of these elements can result in sporting penalties.
The category labelled “SEALED PERIMETER” determines whether a specific component may be replaced freely or whether it must remain within a regulated usage limit. Typical examples include the FIA-standard ECU and the clutch shaft.
The “SUPPLY PERIMETER” section identifies, through green markings, the components that a power unit manufacturer must provide to its customer teams. These parts form part of the standard supply package, which generally costs around $20 million per team. The adjacent “REFERENCE VOLUME” and “PU MASS GROUP” columns simply define the classification category of each component for FIA weight verification procedures.
The final classification code clarifies whether a component is standardized, proprietary to the manufacturer, or classified as open source. In the latter case, CFD drawings and technical specifications must be uploaded to the FIA’s shared server and made available to every team on the grid.
The fact that every unlocked component can potentially be revised makes the ADUO mechanism a relatively powerful tool designed to ensure that no manufacturer remains uncompetitive for an extended period. Nevertheless, limitations related to cost, engineering resources, and development timelines cannot simply be eliminated through ADUO concessions.
In addition to upgrade freedoms, ADUO status also provides manufacturers with greater flexibility regarding the power unit budget cap and dyno testing restrictions. Depending on the size of the performance deficit, the resulting development opportunities can be more or less substantial, allowing for faster or slower recovery. However, validating and producing new power unit components is far more complex than redesigning an aerodynamic part.
Another important consideration is that any newly homologated component must be made available simultaneously to all customer teams. A customer team may still choose not to install the updated specification, either because of chassis integration challenges or because it prefers to save resources during the current season. In such cases, the team can request permission from the FIA to postpone implementation until it has sufficient time to carry out the necessary modifications.
For this reason, the term “relaxation” should not be interpreted as a licence to redesign an entire power unit from scratch, nor to do so quickly. Taking Honda as an extreme example, if it were to find itself significantly behind its rivals, it could potentially modify numerous areas during the next homologation cycle. This would be supported by approximately $11 million in additional resources, including around $8 million available immediately.
However, this is not a gift. The additional allowance effectively functions as an advance that will later be deducted from future budget cap allocations. Even with this assistance, achieving a meaningful recovery would require time, multiple development cycles, and more than one homologation opportunity.
Ultimately, the ADUO framework is designed to act as a balancing mechanism without completely eliminating competitive development. The era in which manufacturers could spend tens of millions of dollars outside a budget cap environment to completely redesign their engines is now firmly a thing of the past.
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