ADUO, what a nuisance
The ADUO system, which the Federation had studied together with F1 and the teams to try to help manufacturers who found themselves in difficulty with the new power units at the beginning of this new regulatory era, continues to spark debate and generate doubts. The ‘case’ broke out when it was clarified that incredibly, according to data collected by the FIA, the best power unit at the start of this season is not the Mercedes – which has won 10 out of 12 races, eight with Mercedes and two with McLaren – but the Red Bull one, capable of achieving just four podium finishes.
Read more Monza: great heat all weekend long
The reason is quickly explained: in the analysis of power units to compile the ADUO ranking, only the thermal component of the engine is considered and not the whole unit. So for Red Bull, in addition to the damage of currently being the fourth force on track, clearly behind Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari, there is also the sting of not being able to use development tokens for their power unit; tokens which are instead granted not only to Ferrari, Audi, and Honda, but also to Mercedes.
Marko’s criticisms
Even the former historic consultant of the Red Bull team, Helmut Marko, has harshly criticized the functioning of the ADUO mechanism. Interviewed by the Austrian site Oe24, Marko emphasized that in his opinion significant and immediate changes to the regulation are needed: “This regulation is incomplete and must be changed immediately – he stated – the powertrain consists of combustion engine, electric motor, software, and battery. In this context, Red Bull certainly does not have the best powertrain“.
For the moment, however, this is the state of affairs and Red Bull can only wait for the next evaluations on engine performance, hoping – paradoxically – to have slipped further behind their rivals. This too has become today’s F1.
Read more Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes: the reasons each has to believe in victory
