Is FIA decision to grant Mercedes engine upgrades ‘baffling’?
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- FIA granted engine upgrades to Mercedes and Ferrari under the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) system, which ranked 2026 power unit manufacturers based on internal combustion engine (ICE) performance only
- Red Bull were judged the benchmark power unit and will receive no upgrades, while Mercedes (more than 2% behind) get one upgrade and Ferrari, Audi and Honda (more than 4% behind) each get two
- Mercedes have won all six 2026 grands prix and lead Ferrari by 79 points in the Constructors' Championship, with Red Bull 172 points back in fourth, making the upgrade grant counterintuitive
- David Croft called the ruling 'baffling' on The F1 Show, questioning why F1 needs a balance-of-performance system and suggesting the FIA should have lifted cost cap restrictions on engine development instead
- Craig Slater reported Red Bull are 'stunned' by the result, noting team principal Laurent Mekies flew directly to Milton Keynes after the ruling, and flagged concerns it could affect Max Verstappen's competitiveness
- Slater called Red Bull's engine achievement a 'miracle' for a first-time manufacturer, but noted their all-round power unit — including battery — is not the best, and they now cannot enhance it
Why it matters: The ruling hands development tokens to the dominant team and starves the manufacturer judged to have built the best engine, undermining the ADUO system's stated purpose. With Mercedes 79 points clear and Red Bull's Verstappen reportedly at risk of losing competitiveness, the decision could reshape the 2026 title fight before Barcelona.
