​Audi Formula 1 boss Mattia Binotto is urging the FIA to rethink the ADUO upgrade scheme after Mercedes was among the manufacturers permitted extra power unit improvements. The Mercedes engine is widely regarded as the strongest heading into 2026, contributing to the squad’s run of seven wins from the first nine races. Yet because upgrades are only measured by V6 power, Mercedes had been allowed to pursue further work on its engines while others faced tighter constraints.
In contrast, Red Bull Powertrains’ V6 was deemed the benchmark by the FIA, which effectively locked it out of additional enhancements beyond the restricted homologation period. Red Bull has challenged the decision, but additional FIA reviews have not altered the outcome.
Rivals have long suspected that prominent teams such as Mercedes and Ferrari might be restraining the performance of their V6s, whether to preserve reliability or to manipulate the ADUO system to their advantage. Speaking to Motorsport.com, Binotto argued that the upgrade scheme needs a comprehensive rethink. He believes the current limit focuses solely on on-track performance, allowing a car with a broad advantage to avoid pushing its power unit to the limit.
“It’s possible, for example, that Mercedes could have had a superior engine in terms of latent potential but did not need to push it to the max because the car itself gave it an advantage,” Binotto said. “If that were the case, they could have gained additional development margin.” He stressed that the regulation should be reconsidered because the original intent of ADUO was to assist teams genuinely falling behind, not to create scenarios where the true potential of a power unit becomes difficult to assess.
The introduction of Audi to Formula 1 is part of why the ADUO system exists in the first place. The German manufacturer was concerned about the initial performance of its early power units and sought a mechanism to prevent a slowdown from leaving it stranded if engines lagged behind. Audi’s engines have started reasonably well, though not at the level of their rivals, with Honda in particular needing the catch-up mechanism that the FIA designed.
Binotto says he does not dispute the FIA’s findings but believes the ADUO framework has drifted from its original purpose. While he does not question the data or the tools at the FIA’s disposal, he insists on remembering the ADUO’s initial objective: to provide a safety buffer for teams whose performance risks falling behind, ensuring that the system accurately gauges a power unit’s true potential rather than masking it.
Nico Hulkenberg, the Audi F1 Team driver, echoed the sentiment that results should be considered within the broader context of the regulation’s aims. Binotto’s comments come amid ongoing discussions about how best to calibrate the ADUO mechanism so it rewards genuine progress and prevents strategic exploits, a debate that will continue as the sport moves deeper into the 2026 season.