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Lewis Hamilton has confirmed that Ferrari will benefit from the FIA's Additional Upgrade and Development Opportunities (ADUO) system, designed to level the playing field among Formula 1 power unit manufacturers.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after finishing second for Ferrari at the Monaco Grand Prix — behind race winner Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes — Hamilton made clear that the power unit hierarchy had been formally assessed, and that Ferrari sits behind both Red Bull and Mercedes in the standings.
"I think the news came out either yesterday or today that Red Bull has the most powerful engine, Mercedes is second, and then we are behind," Hamilton said. "So now we've got these tokens to try and develop and close the gap, but that is like an eight-to-10-month project, so it is not something we can just do next week."
The ADUO framework was introduced to permit limited engine development in a formula where performance upgrades are otherwise banned. Under the rules, manufacturers found to be within 2% of the class-leading power unit are entitled to one upgrade in both 2026 and 2027. Those assessed as being more than 2% behind the benchmark are allocated two upgrades per year.
The FIA has yet to make a formal announcement detailing which manufacturers have been granted ADUO allocations, though Hamilton's comments effectively confirm Ferrari's position in that queue.
The revelation adds another layer of complexity to Ferrari's technical picture, as the Scuderia's on-track performance has already been closely scrutinised this weekend. As Hamilton himself acknowledged after qualifying in Monaco, Ferrari's car felt "drastically different" between practice and Q3 — an indication that straight-line engine performance is far from the team's only concern.
While the ADUO tokens offer a route to closing the gap, Hamilton was candid about the timescale involved. An eight-to-ten-month development window means Barcelona — the next race on the calendar — will bring no immediate relief on the power unit front.
"We will be pushing as hard as we can to close up, and for next week, I think we will hopefully be able to add some components to the car and try to close the gap to [Mercedes], but it is going to be hard there," he added, referencing the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya's long, demanding straights where engine power is at a premium.
For Ferrari, the ADUO confirmation is both an acknowledgement of the current deficit and a signal that the road back to power unit parity will be a measured, methodical process — not an overnight fix.
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.
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