Ferrari F1 suspect Mercedes skullduggery with new engine trick

An edited image of Toto Wolff grinning and Fred Vasseur looking suspicious on the backdrop of a Mercedes car — Photo: © IMAGO

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Ferrari F1 suspect Mercedes skullduggery with new engine trick

Mercedes are the team to beat in 2026, but can Ferrari stop them?

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 30 March 2026 09:51

F1 has always been about more than the action on track with teams making political manoeuvres to try and gain every advantage they can over their rivals.

Mercedes emerged as the team to beat following the wholesale regulation changes, and their main rivals, Ferrari and McLaren, are trying everything within their power to close the gap.

Ferrari's best hope of catching Mercedes is receiving ADUO (Additional Development Opportunities) from the FIA. The lifeline was brought in by the governing body for the new ruleset and to receive it power unit manufacturers must meet a specific criteria.

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ADUO is in relation to the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) Performance Index, and to qualify for one additional homologation upgrade this year, and one additional homologation upgrade in the following season, the ICE Index must be at least two per cent but less than four per cent below the best-performing ICE.

If their ICE Performance Index is 'at least four per cent below the best-performing ICE', a power unit manufacturer can then receive two additional homologation upgrades in the qualifying year and two additional homologation upgrades in the following year.

ADUO can only be given during specific periods, which was the sixth race of the season in Miami. Since the race cancellations in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia however, the sixth race is now Monaco. Recent reports suggest a vote could take place to bring to the date forward to the original Miami GP.

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Will Ferrari receive ADUO?

This is where it all gets rather interesting. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur believes that their engine will qualify for this additional upgrade and meet the threshold.

But according to reports from The Race, Mercedes are aware of Ferrari's plans and are deliberately holding back their engine potential to ensure their rivals do not meet this threshold.

They write: "Ferrari is known to believe Mercedes is holding back part of its engine's potential in order to keep Ferrari below the 2 per cent threshold and prevent the upgrade system from kicking in. It seems almost certain the other manufacturers - Audi, Red Bull Powertrains and Honda - will receive their development opportunities.

"The regulations prevent sandbagging thanks to the FIA's ability to revoke slots at its discretion, and it can also verify values at the factory through simulations on manufacturers' test benches."

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