Faced with the major difficulties encountered by Honda with its 2026 engine, the FIA has officially approved a series of regulatory relaxations aimed at accelerating the catch-up of the Japanese manufacturer. Budget, bench testing and development: several limits have been raised.
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The FIA has officially approved a modification of the 2026 engine regulations to help Honda make up for its significant performance deficit in Formula 1.
As recently revealed by The Race, discussions between the FIA and the various engine manufacturers have been ongoing for several weeks about strengthening the ADUO (“Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities”) mechanism, the catch-up system introduced with the new engine regulations.
The goal was clear: to prevent a manufacturer engaged in the new technical era from remaining permanently behind.
Enhanced support for Honda
The project raised some questions in Miami, after the unexpected suspension of the initial vote. According to several sources, the FIA then wanted to re-examine the exact terms of the system to ensure that it truly helps an engine manufacturer in difficulty without creating a mechanism capable of artificially propelling a team to the top of the hierarchy.
Following this review, the FIA World Motor Sport Council finally approved several additional measures aimed at supporting the most lagging manufacturers — foremost among them Honda, currently Aston Martin’s engine supplier.
The regulations now provide enhanced assistance for engine manufacturers with more than 10% performance deficit compared to the reference engine.
Within this framework, the additional budget cap allowed under the cost cap restrictions has been raised to 11 million dollars. Previously, the limit was set at 8 million for manufacturers with more than 8% deficit.
An exceptional additional envelope of 8 million dollars, valid only for the 2026 season, has also been approved to accelerate development.
More testing allowed
The FIA has also increased the allowed development margins on engine test benches.
The previous regulation granted up to 190 additional hours of testing for the most struggling engine manufacturers. This ceiling now rises to 230 hours for manufacturers showing a deficit greater than 10%.
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This decision could prove crucial for Honda, which recently managed to solve part of its vibration problems thanks to strengthened collaboration with Aston Martin. However, the Japanese manufacturer continues to suffer from a significant performance deficit, especially on the thermal part of its power unit.
A modified schedule starting from Canada
The FIA has also modified the performance evaluation schedule used to determine which manufacturers can benefit from ADUO assistance.
Initially, the first evaluation was to take place after the sixth round of the season, which corresponded to the Miami Grand Prix in the original calendar.
However, the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix postponed this sixth round to the Monaco Grand Prix, scheduled for June 7. The FIA considered this deadline too late to quickly unlock regulatory assistance.
As a result, an exceptional derogation was adopted for 2026: the first official evaluation will finally take place after the Canadian Grand Prix, the next round of the championship on May 24.
Mercedes remains cautious
The ADUO system continues to spark debates among engine manufacturers.
Mercedes notably considers that this mechanism should remain a simple safety net intended for struggling manufacturers, and not become a tool allowing a competitor to quickly turn its deficit into a competitive advantage.
Discussions also persist around the method used by the FIA to measure thermal engine performance. Several external parameters — such as turbo size or backpressure effects related to exhausts — complicate the precise evaluation of the real power of each engine.
The FIA has also hinted that further adjustments could still occur after the evaluation planned in Canada.
The next ADUO evaluation windows will then take place after the Hungarian and Mexican Grands Prix, at the eleventh and eighteenth rounds of the 2026 season.
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