The FIA has a system designed to stop engine manufacturers falling hopelessly behind. It is called ADUO. It is also, by the FIA’s own admission, not working properly. Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA’s single-seater director, has conceded there are weaknesses in the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities framework, even while insisting the underlying measurements are accurate. It is a diplomatic tightrope walk that will satisfy precisely nobody, least of all Red Bull.
How Did Red Bull End Up at the Top?
Here is the headline that caused chaos in the paddock earlier this season: Red Bull Ford Powertrains was ranked as the strongest engine manufacturer in the FIA’s first ADUO measurement period. The same Red Bull that has been watching Mercedes and Ferrari drive away from them in the constructors’ standings. The same Red Bull sitting 202 points behind Mercedes in 2026.
Two factors explain this absurdity. First, ADUO only measures the internal combustion engine, ignoring the electrical side of the power unit entirely. That creates an immediate and glaring mismatch. Second, and more damaging, is the suggestion that Mercedes and Ferrari deliberately held back during early race weekends to secure extra development tokens. Ferrari reportedly pocketed two. Nobody has officially denied it with any conviction.
Tombazis Defends the Numbers, Questions the System
“I think our measurement, in my opinion, has proven to be very accurate. With that said, has everything worked fine? No, because obviously people are not happy. Do we need to think about improvements in the future? Yes, I would say so.” – Nikolas Tombazis
That is a carefully constructed non-apology. The measurements are fine. The system around those measurements is not. Tombazis also floated the theoretical risk that rivals could keep Red Bull stranded at the top of the ADUO rankings indefinitely by simply not deploying their tokens on the ICE, the only component being measured. He dismissed this as unlikely, but the fact he had to address it tells you everything about how broken the incentive structure is.
Honda: the One Team ADUO Actually Helps
Honda, the manufacturer with the largest acknowledged deficit, is introducing its first ADUO upgrade at Zandvoort. Chief engineer Shintaro Orihara called the system fair for Honda, for now, while carefully leaving the door open for future revision. That measured optimism makes sense. ADUO was essentially created with Honda’s predicament in mind, as our earlier look at the Honda Spec 2 engine upgrade outlined.
Whether it serves the sport more broadly is a different question entirely. Red Bull’s precarious position heading into 2027 makes the stakes here very real indeed.
A System That Needs Rebuilding, Not Tweaking
The logical fix is obvious: measure the full power unit, not just the ICE. Tombazis would not commit to that idea specifically, preferring to speak in generalities about future improvements. In the meantime, the results from measurement period one have still not been formally announced publicly, which tells you all you need to know about how comfortable everyone is with them.
The FIA built a handicapping system, allowed manufacturers to game it from day one, and is now surprised by the controversy. At least Tombazis had the self-awareness to take credit for the summer shutdown. Someone had to win something.
