Ferrari will introduce a significant evolution of its engine at Monza. But beyond the expected performance gain, its timing allows the Scuderia to retain precious development advantages for 2027.
Ferrari may have made an excellent move in the engine manufacturers’ battle. The FIA has just confirmed the allocations related to the second ADUO cycle, the mechanism designed to offer more development opportunities to manufacturers whose power unit suffers from a performance deficit.
The latest measurements currently place the Red Bull-Ford engine at the top of the hierarchy. Mercedes has a 2% deficit, while Ferrari, Audi, and Honda are all more than 4% behind the reference. However, the FIA has not disclosed their exact figures for reasons of commercial confidentiality.
This situation entitles Ferrari to additional resources to develop its power unit. And the Scuderia is precisely preparing to use its second ADUO evolution at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.
But the real advantage might lie elsewhere: Ferrari will retain the development rights already acquired even if its new engine significantly reduces its deficit.
Ferrari benefits from a regulation peculiarity
The ADUO system does not just allow certain technical evolutions. It also grants the concerned engine manufacturers additional resources, notably in the form of budget relaxation and extra hours on the test bench.
After the second official measurement period, the FIA has now confirmed the levels assigned to the different manufacturers. These advantages are therefore locked in for the rest of the cycle. This is precisely where the timing chosen by Ferrari becomes particularly interesting.
The third and final ADUO measurement of the season cannot retroactively challenge the rights obtained during the first two evaluations. The intervention levels will only be recalculated from the first evaluation of 2027.
Ferrari can therefore significantly improve its engine without immediately losing the advantages obtained thanks to its current deficit.
The Monza evolution could reshuffle the cards
The Scuderia will introduce its ADUO 2 evolution on the occasion of its home Grand Prix, at Monza.
Imagine that this new specification allows Ferrari to reduce its current deficit from more than 4% to about 2%. In theory, such a leap should have reduced the additional development opportunities granted to Maranello.
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But this will not be the case. Even by quickly returning to Mercedes’ level, or even getting close to Red Bull-Ford, Ferrari would retain the two additional ADUO interventions already granted for 2027.
A potentially considerable advantage in an engine regulation still extremely young.
Ferrari could surpass its rivals in 2027
The goal would therefore no longer be just to close the gap. If the evolution introduced at Monza produces the expected results, Ferrari could continue its development during the winter with more resources than the currently better-placed engine manufacturers.
A second ADUO intervention is notably already scheduled at the beginning of next year.
The Scuderia would thus theoretically have a window during which its engine could have matched the references while continuing to benefit from concessions granted due to its previous deficit.
Ferrari could even, in the most favorable scenario, overtake its competitors before the FIA conducts its new evaluation after the sixth round of the 2027 season.
A timing choice far from trivial
The most important aspect of this operation may therefore not be the evolution itself, but the moment chosen to introduce it.
Ferrari benefits from a particularly favorable regulatory window: improving its power unit now allows it to start reducing its deficit while securing additional resources to continue its development in 2027.
There remains, of course, a major unknown: the actual extent of the gain brought by this new specification.
The first answer will come at Monza. But if Ferrari achieves the expected progress, this strategic choice could have consequences far beyond the Italian Grand Prix and disrupt the engine hierarchy in 2027.
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