A victim of its own domination, Red Bull Powertrains sees its development requests once again rejected by the FIA. While its rivals are benefiting from technical concessions, the Austrian team finds itself blocked by a surprising regulatory paradox.
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The verdict Red Bull was waiting for has fallen. And it’s not what Milton Keynes had hoped for.
The FIA has officially communicated to the five engine manufacturers the results of the first two evaluation periods of its ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) system, the mechanism designed to offer more development opportunities to manufacturers whose engines are lagging in performance.
The result of the first period confirms information that had been circulating for several weeks: Mercedes is within a window of 2 to 4% behind the reference and therefore benefits from an additional homologation in 2026, as well as another in 2027.
Ferrari, Audi, and Honda, whose deficit was evaluated at more than 4%, each have two additional homologations this year and two more in 2027. These concessions are accompanied by an increase in authorized expenditure and available test bench time.
Red Bull’s hands remain tied
Red Bull does not appear on the list of beneficiaries, thus confirming that its internal combustion engine served as the reference during this first evaluation.
Crucially, the situation did not evolve during the second period: the FIA granted no new homologations to any of the five engine manufacturers.
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This is bad news for Red Bull Powertrains, which had hoped that the data collected between Monaco and Hungary would this time allow it to enter the window entitling it to additional developments.
The paradox therefore remains: while Mercedes is generally considered to have the most powerful overall power unit, the ADUO system only measures the performance of the internal combustion engine. And in this specific area, the Red Bull V6 remains competitive enough not to benefit from any concessions.
A final chance in 2026
The FIA nevertheless defends the robustness of its analysis.
“We have conducted a thorough and exhaustive analysis as part of our ADUO process,” states Nikolas Tombazis, FIA Single-Seater Director. “Given the quality of the data, this analysis is extremely robust, and we have a high degree of confidence in our conclusions.”
Tombazis nevertheless acknowledges that this new system may evolve: “This is the first year of ADUO, and some areas may naturally evolve over time, in consultation with all engine manufacturers.”
Red Bull will still have one last chance. The third evaluation period will cover races from the Netherlands to Mexico. But for now, the observation is singular: to have the right to improve its engine, Red Bull must first succeed in proving that it is no longer the best.
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