The FIA officially explained how the ADUO will work in Formula 1 and confirmed important changes to the evaluation calendar after the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs. The system was created to prevent engine manufacturers from falling too far behind in the new technical era of 2026.
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ADUO, which stands for Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities, will allow manufacturers with below-expected performance to continue evolving their power units even after the initial homologation. The FIA will release the first results up to two weeks after the Canadian GP, and eligible teams will be able to introduce improvements already in the following race.
The body will use a performance index focused exclusively on the internal combustion engine to determine which manufacturers will be entitled to the concessions. The analysis will take into account factors such as torque, engine speed, MGU-K power, and the impact of power on lap time. Any manufacturer with performance at least 2% below the best engine on the grid will be able to access the system.
Evaluations will be divided into three periods throughout the season. After the changes caused by the cancellation of the Middle East rounds, the first block now includes Australia, China, Japan, Miami, and Canada. The second runs from Monaco to Hungary, while the third will cover from the Netherlands to Mexico.
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The FIA also detailed the economic and technical benefits offered by the system. Depending on the disadvantage relative to the best engine, manufacturers may receive between 3 million and 11 million dollars outside the budget cap allocated for engine development. Additionally, more lagging teams may gain extra homologations to update power unit components during the season and in subsequent years.
The regulation will also allow changes in various areas of the mechanical assembly, including the combustion engine, turbocharger, exhaust system, MGU-K, ERS, electronics, and cooling. The FIA made it clear that the goal is not to create artificial performance equality but to prevent any manufacturer from being stuck with a wrong engine concept right at the start of the new Formula 1 regulations.
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