Verstappen says Red Bull “confused” by ADUO ranking

Red Bull left surprised by first ADUO outcome

Max Verstappen says Red Bull was caught off guard by the outcome of Formula 1’s first ADUO assessment, after the team was placed at the top of the rankings and therefore denied further power unit development opportunities under the catch-up mechanism.

That conclusion has prompted Red Bull to ask the FIA to review the findings. As previously reported in our coverage of the FIA review into Red Bull’s ADUO ranking, the governing body has begun checking sensors and data, with the process expected to take between seven and 10 days.

Verstappen confirms talks with FIA

“We were all a little bit surprised with that news,” he said. “I guess that's why we're talking to the FIA now to see what happened there, how they came to that conclusion. There's not much more to say right now. That's what they're looking at.”

The delay in any public announcement is therefore linked to that review process. The FIA has said the current work is a factual check of whether the results are correct, but the wider concerns around ADUO appear more complex.

A key point is that only the internal combustion engine is measured, not the complete power unit. However, a manufacturer that qualifies for ADUO is also allowed to modify electrical components. That mismatch has created questions over whether the system properly reflects overall competitive position.

Verstappen avoided offering a technical verdict, stressing that he is not involved in the process day to day. “So I think it's better if you ask someone else how accurate it actually is, the measurements. For us, we're just surprised what came out,” he said.

Pride mixed with frustration

For Red Bull, the situation cuts both ways. Being ranked so highly as a newcomer can be seen as a compliment to the work done by Laurent Mekies’ team. But internally, the view is not that Red Bull has already become the benchmark.

“It's a bit double,” Verstappen said. “Maybe from the outside you should say yes, that's amazing, but we just feel surprised because we don't feel like we are the best.”

He praised the speed of the project’s progress, while also pointing to remaining reliability issues. Red Bull, he said, is proud of what has been achieved, but confused by suddenly being portrayed as the best when that does not match its own assessment.