Dominant Mercedes F1 monster to be given shock FIA upgrade

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Dominant Mercedes F1 monster to be given FIA upgrade after huge decision

Much ADUO about nothing?

Chris Deeley

Tuesday 9 June 2026 21:57 Updated: 09:09

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Good news, half the F1 grid! Your engine manufacturer has more ADUO upgrade tokens than Mercedes!

Bad news, almost all of the F1 grid! Mercedes actually have ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) upgrade tokens, after it was judged that Red Bull, not them, had produced the best power unit early in the 2026 season.

The Mercedes engine – run by the Silver Arrows themselves, as well as McLaren, Alpine and Williams – has been widely accepted as the class of the field after the 2026 regulation changes, with Mercedes-powered cars taking every pole position and race win (including sprints) this year.

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It is Red Bull, though, who the FIA have declared the engine development benchmark, with Mercedes one rung below them on the ladder.

ADUO decision shakes F1

Mercedes were determined to be to be the only engine manufacturer between 2 and 4 per cent behind Red Bull, giving them one upgrade chance this season and one next, while Ferrari, Audi and Honda get a maximum of two upgrades this year and two next for being at least 4 per cent back.

FIA ADUO Analysis
Engine	Teams	Upgrades
Red Bull Powertrains	Red Bull, Racing Bulls	Benchmark
Mercedes	McLaren, Williams, Mercedes, Alpine	One Upgrade
Ferrari	Haas, Cadillac, Ferrari	Two Upgrades
Audi	Audi	Two Upgrades
Honda	Aston Martin	Two Upgrades

Toto Wolff railed just six weeks ago against the idea of ADUO upgrades being handed out willy-nilly (not his wording) and 'interfering with the competitive pecking order', as opposed to allowing manufacturers like Honda to rectify some of the mistakes which have left their one customer some distance off the pace.

He is yet to speak publicly about his team receiving one of those upgrade opportunities.

"The principle of the ADUO was to allow teams that were on the back foot to catch up – but not to leapfrog," the Mercedes chief said back in April.

"I would be very surprised actually to see, and disappointed, if ADUO decisions come up with any interferences into the competitive pecking order as it stands at the moment."

In fairness, the dominant Mercedes team being able to develop even further might not technically change the pecking order. 'Fastest' to 'still fastest' is status quo, right?

Of course, the biggest non-Red Bull losers from the decision may Aston Martin. To have pinned some of your hopes for recovering pace relatively to the rest of the field on the ADUO balance, only to see Ferrari lumped into the same bracket as you, it a tough break.

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