Always more politics in this new Formula 1, especially in this very delicate phase of the new regulatory cycle regarding the engine component. After extensive discussions during the forced break in April, FIA teams and engine manufacturers reached a first compromise on the management of electrical energy and power starting from the next GP in Miami, to try to limit the critical issues that emerged in the very first phase of the championship.
The solutions that will be introduced certainly do not simplify the lives of engineers, nor that of the public trying to understand how they work; but the real engine battle begins now, just weeks away from the definition of performance hierarchies and the allocation of ADUO development “tokens” for 2026 and 2027.
Who will be the true benchmark?
It is clear that everything will depend on the evaluation parameters – let’s remember, related only to the internal combustion engine and not to the electrical part – and on who will be at the top of the ranking compiled by the Federation. The impact will obviously be very strong, not only for this season, and therefore the teams’ attention is almost exclusively focused on this.
Despite the FIA’s precautions in writing this part of the regulation, the suspicion of irregularities is in the air, with some manufacturers allegedly hiding part of their potential.
To this is added another aspect for the ADUO evaluation, linked to precise design choices for the thermal component: this is the case, for example, of Ferrari, which deliberately bet on a smaller turbo obtaining some advantages – such as responsiveness at the start – at the expense of the power actually delivered by the internal combustion engine. Well, discussions also continue on whether this element should be considered or not in the final evaluation.
Who will be the true benchmark?
In recent days, The Race had launched the rumor that, in the paddock, there was a belief that Red Bull, and not Mercedes, currently has the best engine and that it is therefore the benchmark to look at (also opening up the option, however unlikely, of the possibility of development for the three-pointed star).
A rather peculiar scenario, especially if we consider Toto Wolff’s concerns and perplexities on the matter: the Austrian manager, in fact, showed a certain tolerance towards the ADUO system, explaining that – in his opinion – it should only be granted to Honda because it is in clear difficulty and not to other engine manufacturers, who could benefit from it and even overturn the hierarchies.
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Red Bull ‘denies’: Mercedes is quite a bit ahead
The Red Bull team principal, Laurent Mekies, immediately warned about rumors regarding the best engine, convinced that these are clear lobbying maneuvers to try to influence the FIA’s decision-making process and that Mercedes has a significant margin over the others. This advantage must therefore be protected and minimized, as much as possible.
“The game of trying to draw up the ranking has been going on since the Bahrain tests, but let’s try not to get into it. The only thing we see from the data is that Mercedes is clearly ahead and one team (Honda, ed.) is particularly behind” these are Mekies’ words reported by The Race. “Ferrari and Audi are probably quite close to us“.
“Fairly extracting internal combustion engine performance data from all teams is very difficult. I believe that the overall results probably offer the best and most objective picture of everyone’s situation. Internally, however, we estimate that Mercedes’ margin is at least three tenths per lap“.
Mekies also pointed out that a large part of the gap – in terms of lap time – related to the engine is attributable precisely to the thermal part, as electrical power is limited and will be even more so from Miami onwards.
