'Bizarre' FIA rule detail hands Mercedes a major F1 title edge

Mercedes F1 team could be handed a significant advantage following a verdict from the FIA that has divided the paddock.

The opening rounds of the 2026 campaign made it clear the Silver Arrows had gotten closest to mastering the new regulations over the winter break.

Since the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Toto Wolff's team have taken every single grand prix victory but one (thanks to former driver Lewis Hamilton).

But despite showing off the dominance of their in-house power unit on track this season, F1's governing body have still granted Mercedes Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO).

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What is ADUO?

Having declared their ranking of the 2026 PU manufacturers' engines as Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari, Audi and Honda in that order, the FIA have left the energy drink giants without the opportunity to benefit from any additional upgrades this season.

After it was announced the FIA had found Red Bull Ford Powertrains to be the benchmark, the Milton Keynes-based F1 team raised concerns over the verdict that assessed frontrunners Mercedes as being more than two per cent behind them, thus offering them one engine upgrade this year.

The FIA are understood to be reviewing their findings and are subject to official confirmation.

ADUO was designed as a safety net for any engine manufacturers' who may fall behind at the start of a new regulations era, but Mercedes appear to have gained an advantage from the ruling due to the way it is assessed.

How Mercedes could benefit from FIA ADUO ranking

Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast ahead of the British Grand Prix, Karun Chandhok explained how the 'bizarre' system has benefited the team that is home to the top two drivers in the championship.

"I think what's happened is the the way that the development tokens are being awarded is based purely on the ICE," Chandhok began.

“So on the face of it, I looked at it and go, ‘Wow, this just seems bizarre,’ because the car is propelled by 100 per cent of power, 53 comes from the ICE, 47 from the electric. So why would you only award tokens based on 53 per cent of the car, you know, of the power they’re being pushed? Because that doesn't seem fair. The end result is based on 100 per cent, not just the 53.

“Now the other teams would argue saying, ‘listen the electric side is all capped anyway.’

“You’ve got a fixed number of kilowatts. You’ve got a fixed number of megajoules. All that's fixed anyway. It's all capped.

“I think the question is more around not whether Red Bull should have been given tokens or an opportunity, but it's like how have Mercedes managed to manoeuvre themselves in a position to get the upgrades. I think that's what's baffled everybody.

“The people at Red Powertrains are saying, ‘Hey, listen. We're not upset that we haven't been given tokens actually because you know what? This has given us an A* endorsement. Our first term report says A*, good job. You are top of the pile.’

“What they are a bit annoyed about is how Mercedes have managed to slip under the radar despite winning, you know, all but one grand prix and get themselves the opportunity to upgrade. That's what they're annoyed about.”

FIA F1 2026 ADUO Analysis

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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