Nicole MulderManaging Editor
Nicole Mulder is Managing Editor at GPblog and a specialist in Formula 1 and MotoGP. With years of experience and permanent FIA accreditation at Grands Prix worldwide, she delivers reliable coverage and insights based on direct access to drivers and the F1 paddock.
The FIA has adjusted the rules around the so-called ADUO system following changes to the Formula 1 calendar. With the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, the evaluation points for engine performance have also been shifted. In addition, extra development hours are being allocated to manufacturers that are significantly behind.
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.
FIA adjusts evaluation points and development hours
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
Extra development hours per performance level
| Deficit relative to benchmark | Extra development hours |
| Less than 2% | 0 hours |
| Between 2% and 4% | 70 hours |
| Between 4% and 6% | 110 hours |
| Between 6% and 8% | 150 hours |
| Between 8% and 10% | 190 hours |
| More than 10% | 230 hours |
New FIA evaluation points
| FIA evaluation | After which Grand Prix |
| First checkpoint | Canadian GP (race 5) |
| Second checkpoint | Hungarian GP (race 11) |
| Third checkpoint | Mexico City GP (race 18) |
ADVERTISEMENT
Don’t miss GPblog in Google
Mark us as a preferred source and our articles will appear more often at the top of Top Stories.
Add as a preferred / source on Google
