Ferrari introduced its second engine evolution of the season at Monza to reduce its gap to Mercedes. But the verdict on the track was unequivocal, to the point of pushing Maranello to rethink its concept for 2027.
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On paper, Monza was supposed to allow Ferrari to take a new step forward. The Scuderia introduced its second ADUO of the season there, after a first evolution appeared in Austria in June. In reality, the temple of speed mainly highlighted the extent of the road still to be traveled.
The modifications made to the Italian V6 notably concerned the turbocharger, whose dimensions Ferrari reportedly increased while revising some elements of its design. The goal was clear: to gain thermal power and reduce one of the main handicaps of the Italian engine since the start of the season.
Monza, the ultimate judge
On a circuit where long straights put the powertrain in the spotlight, the observation was particularly harsh.
“Some were 10 km/h faster on one straight and 10 km/h slower on another,” explains Fred Vasseur. “The problem is that we were almost 10 km/h slower everywhere.”
“When we put a bit more energy in one place, the gap was even bigger on the next straight. It was practically impossible to manage.”
The problem touches the heart of the 2026 engine regulations. The available power now results from a particularly delicate balance between the thermal V6 and the MGU-K, whose electric energy must be distributed over the entire lap.
When the thermal engine lacks power, the driver can temporarily compensate by using more electric energy. But this energy spent in one place is obviously no longer available elsewhere.
“When you lack pure power, you start playing with deployment to try to compensate on a straight,” Vasseur specifies. “If you deploy more somewhere, you will necessarily deploy less elsewhere. And then you enter a bad spiral.”
Hamilton amazed by Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton was able to directly measure the gap with his former engine supplier.
“We knew they were fast on the straights, but it was really mind-blowing to see how much so,” the Briton confided. “The Mercedes engine, that thing just keeps pushing, pushing, pushing.”
A difference that reflects the choices made during the design of the 2026 engines.
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As F1i explained at the start of the season, Ferrari favored a relatively compact turbocharger. Its low inertia allows it to spool up quickly and gives the Italian V6 an excellent throttle response, especially at the start and out of slow corners.
Mercedes followed the opposite philosophy, with a larger turbo. Less responsive at very low speed, it offers more potential when the engine runs at full load for a long time.
At Monza, this compromise clearly favored Mercedes.
Not just an electric problem
Above all, Vasseur refuses to make energy management the real culprit of Ferrari’s difficulties.
“Honestly, it’s not a deployment issue. I think our deployment was good. Even McLaren played a bit with that on Friday and Saturday morning. In the end, what we lack is pure power.”
That is why the ADUO introduced at Monza disappoints. Not because it brings nothing, but because it does not fundamentally change the characteristics of the Ferrari engine.
“We did not expect to recover our gap with ADUO 1 or ADUO 2,” admits Vasseur. “We are moving forward in small steps, but you have to keep in mind that even if you gain a few horsepower, it’s already good progress on the grid.”
Ferrari will change concept in 2027
The real response from Maranello is therefore being prepared for next year.
“We will have a new engine next year, then ADUO 1 in 2027 and ADUO 2. The goal is to catch up, to do it as quickly as possible, but I did not expect to close the gap with Mercedes in two months.”
Above all, Vasseur confirmed that Ferrari is working on a concept change for its 2027 engine.
It is therefore no longer just about optimizing the current powertrain with small tweaks. The lessons of 2026 push Maranello to reconsider some fundamental choices, notably the size of the turbocharger.
The ADUO from Monza will thus have had one merit: confirming that a few extra horsepower will not be enough. To truly catch up with Mercedes, Ferrari will have to seek performance much deeper in its architecture.
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