Why Ferrari is developing a new F1 engine and how it will differ from the current Power Unit. Ferrari is working on a completely new Formula 1 engine concept .

The reason why Ferrari is designing a new engine and what the differences with the current one will be

Ferrari is currently working on a completely new engine compared to the one it is using today, which has been defined internally as a “transition” unit. But why is the Scuderia developing a new concept and what will the differences be compared to the current power unit?

The Maranello-based team arrived extremely well prepared for the 2026 Formula 1 season, with the SF-26 proving to be an excellent car from both a chassis and aerodynamic perspective. The first Ferrari project led by Loic Serra, together with Diego Tondi, has shown strong qualities in those areas, but it still pays a certain performance gap to the Mercedes engine. For this reason, inside the Maranello Racing Department work is already underway on a completely new power unit. The question many observers are asking is why this new engine is necessary and what technical changes it will introduce compared to the current one.

Ferrari is therefore developing a new engine with a significantly different concept, and it cannot be ruled out that it could even be introduced during the current season if the right conditions arise. The current power unit is in fact considered a transitional solution and offers virtually no development margin. The new Power Unit is expected to be ready for 2027, or it could be introduced earlier if required after race number 12 of the championship, which corresponds to the Belgian Grand Prix.

This operation is obviously possible thanks to the ADUO system, which allows the team to intervene on the very heart of the SF-26 and potentially unlock more horsepower. ADUO stands for Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities. It is a system developed by the FIA and is based on special concessions designed to avoid a scenario in which an engine manufacturer falls significantly behind its rivals during the introduction of a new set of technical regulations. With this mechanism in place, teams have the possibility to make certain changes if they are at a disadvantage. Let’s now look at further technical details.

The internal combustion engine dates back to 2025, while Zimmermann’s project lacked reliability

As reported by AutoRacer.it, the internal combustion component of the current engine is essentially an adaptation of a unit that was already used and well known within the walls of Maranello in 2025. The main objective was to reach a level of reliability that had previously been difficult to achieve. However, this version of the ICE does not offer any meaningful development potential. It represents more of a backup plan, also implemented in order to comply with the new 2026 fuel requirements introduced by the sporting regulations.

The original project developed by the staff of Wolf Zimmermann — who left Ferrari several months ago together with Lars Schmidt to join Audi — ultimately failed because of an inaccurate estimate regarding the “calorific potential inside the combustion chamber and the degradation process.” This miscalculation created several significant reliability problems during testing on the engine dyno. The engine department led by Enrico Gualtieri did not fully agree with the German engineer’s approach, but modifying the architecture of a Formula 1 engine is far from simple and requires time as well as resources.

Another aspect that must be taken into consideration is the budget cap. The fact that Ferrari is developing a completely new engine suggests that the team has managed to work within the limits imposed by the cost cap regulations. In fact, a totally new concept is already running on the test bench and could potentially be introduced in 2027, or even earlier after the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix. There is also the possibility of seeing it debut at Monza if the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix were to be removed from the calendar.

This would represent a true overhaul of the entire architecture of the power unit. Enrico Gualtieri had previously hinted that Ferrari might even play a kind of “hide and seek” game with performance figures in order to mislead the ADUO system and the FIA. However, the start of the season appears to contradict that theory.

The main technical challenge is to reduce turbo lag while dealing with the 350 kW output of the MGU-K and at the same time having more electrical energy available for a longer period of time. That is why a properly designed internal combustion engine and advanced electronics are both essential.

Ferrari has not focused on increasing the compression ratio with the new specification, also in light of the additional checks that the FIA has introduced, including a new control procedure at 130 degrees starting from June 1. Instead, the main effort has been concentrated on modifying the engine architecture in order to eliminate thermal degradation issues, while maintaining the compression ratio at 16:1. Engineers in Maranello were fully aware that they were at a disadvantage for several reasons and have therefore been working intensely to close that gap.