The FIA has officially started distributing notifications to Formula 1 power unit manufacturers detailing their ADUO allowances. As reported by Giuliano Duchessa of AutoRacer.it, the long-awaited ADUO permits table has finally landed in the inboxes of team bosses across the grid.
This marks the activation of the sport’s massive regulatory safety net, designed to prevent total manufacturer domination in the 2026 era.
How the ICE Performance Index Works
To encourage close competition, Formula 1 introduced the “Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities” (ADUO) concept to ensure no manufacturer falls drastically behind the performance curve. Throughout the season, the FIA monitors the output of every Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) to create a specific “ICE Performance Index”.
The notifications currently arriving at the factories detail exactly how many upgrades a struggling team is allowed to deploy. According to an official explainer from Formula1.com, if a manufacturer’s power unit is at least 2% but less than 4% down on the leading ICE, they are eligible for one additional homologation upgrade in the current season and another in the following season. As outlined by PlanetF1, if the deficit is worse than 4%, that allowance jumps to two additional upgrades.
A Cost Cap Relief Mechanism, Not a Balance of Performance
While fans often confuse this system with the “Balance of Performance” (BoP) used in endurance racing, the FIA insists it operates very differently. Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA’s single-seater director, explicitly clarified the intent behind the new mechanism.
“It’s important to make clear that ADUO is not a kind of balance of performance mechanism,” Tombazis stated. “A team or manufacturer will not suddenly get greater fuel flow rate or more or less ballast” (via Formula1.com).
Instead, he described the system as “a cost cap relief mechanism”. It provides trailing teams with the financial and regulatory leeway to develop their power units within the framework laid out by the technical regulations, even offering up to $11 million in cost cap exemptions for manufacturers with severe performance deficits.
The Electrical Gray Area
Despite the massive lifeline the ADUO table provides to trailing manufacturers like Ferrari and Honda, the system has a highly debated blind spot. Because the assessment solely measures the ICE, it completely ignores the performance of the Energy Recovery System (ERS). The FIA admitted that the index is not representative of full power unit performance, as the electrical system plays a crucial role in overall power output.
Manufacturers previously argued to expand the testing parameters, but the FIA ultimately rejected a more complex ranking system to keep the regulatory framework manageable. With the ADUO tables now officially in the hands of the engineers, manufacturers know exactly how much regulatory freedom they have been granted to close the gap to Mercedes, setting the stage for an intense mid-season development battle.
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