'FIA in talks with Red Bull leadership over ADUO outcome at Silverstone'

As GPblog previously reported, the new review by the motorsport federation has not prompted any changes to the earlier conclusions, despite a request from Max Verstappen’s team to reassess the measurements, according to De Telegraaf. During the current F1 weekend, the FIA is said to be meeting with Red Bull to explain how the assessment was conducted and how the new measurements, carried out at Red Bull’s request, were performed.

The debate centers on the so-called ADUO system, which the FIA will use in 2026 to determine which engine manufacturers receive additional development opportunities. The assessment looks exclusively at the performance of the internal combustion engine, the electric components of the power unit are not considered. After the first round of measurements, the FIA concluded that Red Bull has the strongest combustion engine. As a result, the manufacturer is currently not allowed to implement extra engine upgrades, while competitors such as Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda, and Audi do have that leeway.

Red Bull previously questioned that outcome. Team boss Laurent Mekies has already stated that the team’s own data shows no indication that the combustion engine outperforms Mercedes’. At Red Bull’s request, the FIA decided to reexamine the assessment.

According to De Telegraaf, this ultimately did not change the original conclusion. The Dutch newspaper reports that the FIA assigned ten staff members to the case and that the new review took eight days. Nevertheless, the motorsport federation is said to have arrived at the same result once again.

The newspaper reports that FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis has invited Red Bull to go through all the data step by step at Silverstone this weekend. This would include an explanation of how the FIA reached its assessment. Representing Red Bull, sporting chief Oliver Mintzlaff and co-owner Mark Mateschitz are expected to attend. In addition, a meeting with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is said to be on the agenda to discuss Red Bull’s involvement in motorsport.

Reportedly, that won’t be the end of it. Next week, Tombazis is expected to sit down with Red Bull again, this time with team principal Mekies among those present. That discussion would focus primarily on the technical side of the assessment.

The ADUO system has now sparked considerable debate in Formula 1. On paper, it seems more of a disadvantage than an advantage for Red Bull that the FIA rates its power unit as the best. Because only the internal combustion engine is taken into account, the team does not qualify for additional development. At the same time, the prevailing view in the paddock has long been that Mercedes in particular has an edge with the electrical part of the power unit, but that component falls outside the ADUO assessment. All F1 teams agreed to this when the rules were drafted.