Ferrari will know after the Canadian Grand Prix whether it will be able to access the ADUO, the system introduced by the FIA to grant additional development opportunities to engine manufacturers that fall behind in Formula 1 2026.
The decision will arrive after the fifth race actually completed, no longer after the sixth as originally planned. This is the direct consequence of the modification ratified by the FIA World Motor Sport Council, made necessary by the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix.
The original calendar included three evaluation windows: after the sixth, twelfth and eighteenth rounds. Under the new structure, however, the first review period will conclude after the Canadian Grand Prix on May 24, the second after the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 26 and the third after the Mexican Grand Prix on November 1.
For Ferrari, this represents a crucial moment. If the Ferrari internal combustion engine is found to be at least 2% below the benchmark engine on the grid — currently considered to be Mercedes — the Italian team could receive additional room to intervene on its power unit development.
How the ADUO works and why it matters for Ferrari
The ADUO is not a Balance of Performance system and does not hand out immediate performance gains. It does not increase fuel flow, introduce ballast or artificially alter the competitive order.
Instead, the purpose of the system is to grant more dyno testing time, additional financial flexibility and extra homologation updates to manufacturers that have produced a less powerful internal combustion engine compared to the strongest engine on the grid.
The key criterion remains the ICE Performance Index, the parameter used by the FIA to evaluate thermal engine performance.
As explained by FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis, the evaluation focuses specifically on ICE power output and is based on data collected both on track and at the factory, through a system designed to isolate engine performance as much as possible from the overall performance of the car itself.
The main thresholds remain unchanged. Manufacturers with a deficit between 2% and 4% can receive one extra update in 2026 and one additional update in 2027.
Manufacturers exceeding a 4% deficit can receive up to two extra updates for each of the two seasons.
This is the area Ferrari could potentially fall into if its engine is judged to be sufficiently far behind the current reference power unit, which inside the paddock is widely identified as the Mercedes engine.
The new over-10% category: extra support for Honda
The biggest new development, however, concerns engine manufacturers facing severe difficulties.
The FIA has introduced a new category for any manufacturer exceeding a 10% deficit compared to the best engine on the grid. In that scenario, teams would receive 230 additional hours of dyno testing, compared to the 190 hours currently allocated to the 8% to 10% deficit category.
This modification appears aimed primarily at Honda, which is currently considered the engine manufacturer facing the greatest difficulties together with Aston Martin.
The intervention also affects the power unit budget cap. Manufacturers exceeding the 10% deficit threshold would be allowed a correction of up to 11 million dollars, plus an additional one-time allowance of 8 million dollars valid only for the 2026 season.
However, this would not represent a permanent financial gift, as those additional allowances would need to be compensated for in future years.
The political debate inside the Formula 1 paddock nevertheless remains open.
The ADUO system is designed to prevent an engine manufacturer from remaining completely uncompetitive throughout an entire regulatory cycle, but without unfairly penalizing manufacturers that have simply done a better job from the start.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff summarized the philosophy of the system by explaining that the ADUO had always been conceived as a recovery mechanism rather than a mechanism designed to create a sudden leap in competitiveness.
For Ferrari, the first major verdict will arrive in Montreal. That is where the team will finally understand whether its 2026 season could truly change direction on the engine side as well.
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