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Ferrari appears to have played a significant strategic hand with the timing of its second ADUO upgrade. RacingNews365 technical analyst Paolo Filisetti’s assessment follows the FIA’s formal confirmation of the ADUO — Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities — allocations after the second official measurement period.
The decision confirms the current development allowances and provides a clearer view of the engine performance order. The Red Bull-Ford internal combustion engine remains the benchmark, while Mercedes is classified second with a confirmed deficit of two per cent. Ferrari, Audi and Honda are all more than four per cent behind, although the FIA has not published their precise figures because of commercial confidentiality.
The FIA’s confirmation is more than a snapshot of current performance. The ADUO assignments now lock in the resources available for next season, including budget-cap relief for engine development and additional test-bench hours. For manufacturers already applying their allocations, the timing of each intervention becomes central to the value of the opportunity.
That is where Ferrari’s plan stands out. The Scuderia is scheduled to introduce its ADUO 2 evolution at Monza next weekend, creating an early platform from which to shape its 2027 development programme. The move follows the FIA’s confirmation of ADUO support levels, detailed in this latest report on the official allowances.
The advantage is rooted in the structure of the measurement cycle. The third and final ADUO measurement of the current cycle will not have a retroactive effect on the development rights awarded under the first two measurements. Whatever a manufacturer earns through those initial assessments remains in place, regardless of what the third review shows. Recalibration begins with the opening measurement of next year.
That creates a potentially valuable scenario for Ferrari. If the Monza upgrade were to reduce its deficit from more than four per cent to roughly two per cent, the improvement would not reduce the two subsequent ADUO interventions already assigned to the team for 2027. Those allocations would remain intact.
The arithmetic could therefore work strongly in Ferrari’s favour. Full performance convergence with the leading manufacturers is presented as a realistic possibility before the start of the 2027 season. With a second ADUO intervention already scheduled early next year, Ferrari could theoretically move ahead before the FIA’s post-round-six review redistributes development entitlements.
The decisive factor may not be the allocation itself, but when Ferrari has chosen to deploy it. Monza could mark the beginning of a development trajectory capable of altering the competitive order among power-unit suppliers within months.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.