Not even ADUO releases certain areas of the power units; understand which components will remain untouched during the new technical era of Formula 1.
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The creation of the ADUO system by the FIA brought a series of new development possibilities for manufacturers who eventually start the 2026 engine era at a competitive disadvantage. However, there is an important aspect of the regulation that often goes unnoticed: there are components that will remain frozen for all manufacturers, regardless of their performance or any benefit granted by the entity.
In other words, even if a manufacturer receives extra development permissions through ADUO, certain areas of the power unit remain protected by the rules and cannot be modified.
The measure is part of the FIA’s strategy to control costs, avoid excessive technological escalation, and ensure that some components are common or equivalent among all championship participants.
What remains frozen for everyone even with ADUO?
– High-pressure fuel pump
– FIA standardized sensors
– Components classified as Standard Parts
– FIA standardized electronic control unit
– Various elements defined by the regulation as mandatorily homologated components
– Areas marked as permanently blocked in the FIA homologation tables
These components cannot be redesigned or receive performance updates, regardless of the manufacturer’s position in the standings or the performance gap to competitors.
The goal is to prevent teams and manufacturers from spending resources on areas considered to have low sporting value or that could generate an extremely costly technological race without significant benefits for the competition.
What are Standard Parts?
One of the most important categories of the regulation is the so-called “Standard Parts.”
These are components that have a unique specification for all championship participants. Instead of each manufacturer developing their own version of the part, everyone uses the same component or follows specifications strictly controlled by the FIA.
The intention is to reduce costs and prevent secondary areas from becoming multi-million dollar development fields.
In addition to Standard Parts, the regulation also defines standardized components and others classified as mandatory supply, creating a much more controlled environment than that seen in the early generations of the hybrid era started in 2014.
Not even ADUO changes these rules
One of the most frequent questions about the system created for 2026 is whether it allows disadvantaged manufacturers unrestricted access to development. The answer is no.
Read more F1 2026: what all manufacturers can develop, even without ADUO?
ADUO significantly expands the list of components that can be updated, especially in areas related to the internal combustion engine, the MGU-K, the battery, and energy recovery systems. However, components classified as frozen remain out of reach for any manufacturer.
In practice, the FIA has created a kind of regulatory “red line” that cannot be crossed even by manufacturers benefiting from the program.
Why does the FIA keep areas permanently frozen?
Formula 1 experience has shown that manufacturers are capable of investing huge amounts in search of small performance advantages.
Without limitations, the trend would be a continuous cost escalation, requiring increasingly larger investments in research, development, and production.
By freezing certain areas, the FIA directs manufacturers’ resources to sectors considered more relevant to the competition and the technological evolution of the category.
The system also helps maintain greater balance among manufacturers, preventing financial differences from producing practically unattainable advantages for competitors.
The regulation seeks a balance between freedom and control
The new generation of Formula 1 engines was built on a philosophy that tries to reconcile two often conflicting objectives: allowing technological evolution and, at the same time, controlling costs.
Therefore, the 2026 regulation combines three distinct scenarios. There are areas open to all manufacturers, additional areas released through ADUO, and a third group of components that remain frozen for everyone.
It is precisely this combination that the FIA believes can preserve the category’s competitiveness without repeating the technical imbalances observed in other recent periods of Formula 1 history.
As the season progresses and the first ADUO beneficiaries become known, understanding which areas remain untouchable will be as important as understanding which components manufacturers will be able to develop.
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