Audi boss fears possible exploitation of ADUO rules: 'This wasn't the original intention'

"In my opinion, the limit has been that it has exclusively measured performance on the track. A car with an overall advantage can afford not to fully exploit the potential of its power unit," Binotto told Motorsport.com.

The ADUO system was originally introduced to help power unit manufacturers that are falling behind. The ones found to be at least 2% behind the benchmark engine can introduce one performance update in both 2026 and 2027. If the gap exceeds 4%, they are permitted two updates during each season.

Binotto highlights that a team that has a better car can now simply hold back its potential to gain a 'joker'. He continued: "It's possible, for example, that Mercedes had an engine with superior potential, but had no need to push it to the limit because it already had an advantage thanks to the car. If that were the case, it could have also gained additional development margin.

After the first round of FIA assessments, the Red Bull Ford power unit was declared the benchmark, with the evaluation focusing exclusively on the performance of the internal combustion engine. During the British Grand Prix, it was reported that the FIA met with the Austrian team to provide extensive clarification. The federation also held further talks this week, with team principal Laurent Mekies in attendance.

Binotto does not question the results the FIA had, but believes the ADUO system now does not meet its original goal.

He added: "On the results, I'm not questioning the work done by the FIA. They have all the tools and data necessary to make their assessments, despite the limitations that any measurement system inevitably entails. However, I believe it's important to remember the original objective of the ADUO. When it was first discussed, the concept was that of a sort of safety net. If a manufacturer was far behind at the start of the regulatory cycle, with regulations virtually frozen and very little room for development, it would risk dragging that disadvantage for five years."