Fred Vasseur explains Ferrari’s power unit limits and why key changes must wait until 2027. Ferrari boss reveals why some power unit upgrades cannot arrive before 2027.

The Scuderia Ferrari team principal has defended the design choices made by the Maranello-based squad during the development of the SF-26.

ADUO: an unexpected twist

“It’s a combination of factors. We made very specific choices regarding the chassis and the car’s drivability, pushing further in that direction rather than focusing on the engine. I believe it was the right decision. Then there are elements of the power unit that we will only be able to change next year. Our rivals were better than us when it came to certain ‘tricks’.”

That was how Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur defended the engineering decisions behind the SF-26, which claimed victory with Lewis Hamilton at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, during an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

Fred Vasseur was referring to technical solutions that Ferrari’s rivals interpreted more effectively in the development of their power units. He also indicated that the upcoming ADUO-2 package—which, according to reports, is expected to feature a larger turbocharger when Ferrari returns after the summer break—will not be enough on its own to incorporate those solutions. Instead, achieving that objective has been pushed back to the 2027 Formula 1 season.

Developing a new power unit architecture requires approximately six months of work, meaning that changes involving new materials or fundamental hardware components cannot realistically be introduced before 2027. As a result, Ferrari will have to wait until the next generation of development opportunities to fully address some of the current limitations.

Speaking about the ADUO system, Fred Vasseur also admitted he was surprised to discover that Mercedes would be allowed to modify its power unit once during the 2026 season and then again in 2027.

“That wasn’t the picture we had. However, the system isn’t based on results but on the calculated output of the internal combustion engine, and we didn’t have access to all the data that the FIA uses to measure those parameters. Still, we were surprised—only Red Bull was more surprised than we were.”

Red Bull has in fact been designated as the benchmark power unit manufacturer, and according to reports from The-Race.com, Ferrari’s deficit in terms of internal combustion engine performance is currently estimated to be between 6% and 8%.