Red Bull F1 team set for FIA protest: 'The team are furious'

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Red Bull set for FIA protest: 'The team are furious'

Red Bull are not happy at all

By Vincent Bruins.

Wednesday 10 June 2026 17:44

Red Bull F1 team have reportedly been left fuming following a development in the 2026 engine upgrades debate from the FIA.

The F1 governing body's Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) analysis has made headlines ahead of this weekend's Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, but the energy drink giants are to said to be reluctant to accept the findings.

The Austrian outfit is challenging the decision, which has delayed the official release of engine data originally scheduled for the Monaco GP.

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The controversy stems from early results of the new ADUO system, designed to monitor combustion engine performance for 2026.

Measurements indicate that Red Bull Powertrains-Ford currently sets the benchmark, meaning the team isn’t allowed any additional performance upgrades.

Meanwhile, rivals lagging behind are granted development leeway, prompting criticism from experts at Milton Keynes who say it’s an unfair system—especially since the FIA only examines the combustion engine and overlooks the hybrid component, where Mercedes is believed to have an advantage.

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Red Bull 'refuse' F1 2026 ADUO results

Analysts from AutoRacer have offered insight into the delayed release.

The Italian platform reported that the data was expected to be published earlier, as teams and engine manufacturers anticipated receiving the ADUO results between Friday and Saturday.

Instead, the FIA briefed the manufacturers on its findings during a session held at the Monaco race weekend.

After the meeting in the principality, communication from the international motorsport federation went silent.

Red Bull and Ford both rejected the conclusions of the analysis which put the product of Red Bull's engine partnership with Ford as the highest rank PU, above even the dominant Mercedes package.

“The numbers were supposed to be released on Monday, but even now they haven’t been published because Red Bull disagreed with the findings,” AutoRacer explained.

Meanwhile, leaked data reveals that while Red Bull’s engine is the benchmark, Ferrari’s power unit currently trails by six to eight percent compared to the best engine. This shortfall entitles the Scuderia to several major homologation upgrades aimed at closing the gap ahead of the 2027 season.

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