FIA introduces changes to ADUO with immediate effect

The ADUO balancing system, short for Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities, was introduced ahead of the season to give engine suppliers that are lagging behind extra development scope. This applies in the first year of the new engine regulations, in which all manufacturers are running completely new power units.

Initially, three evaluation points were scheduled after the sixth, twelfth, and eighteenth races of the season. Because the calendar has been reduced to 22 races due to the cancellation of the F1 races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the FIA has adjusted those moments. As GPblog previously reported, the first evaluation will now take place after the Canadian Grand Prix, the fifth race of the season. A second checkpoint will follow after the eleventh race, the Hungarian GP. The final evaluation remains after the Mexico City Grand Prix.

The FIA has also adjusted the amount of extra development hours for manufacturers that are far behind the benchmark. Teams that are more than ten percent off the pace will now receive 230 additional development hours. This will be a welcome adjustment for Honda in particular.

At the start of the season, it quickly became clear that Honda is significantly behind the competition following Red Bull Racing’s switch to Aston Martin under the new engine regulations. This makes the Japanese manufacturer one of the parties likely to benefit from the scheme.