Red Bull mock the FIA's ADUO ruling on social media: 'The benchmark F1 engine wasn't in the business plan'

Posting on X after last weekend's Italian Grand Prix, the team made a playful reference to the ADUO situation. The post read: "Things we make: Energy drinks. Sugar-free energy drinks. Tropical energy drinks. The benchmark Formula One engine. One of these wasn't in the original business plan."

The team followed up with a second post on X advertising the energy drink under which the team races, writing "Red Bull and ICE, what (a)duo." On Instagram, they doubled down on the joke, posting "Red Bull, best with ICE" with the caption "Energy drink company. Engine benchmark. In that order."

The social media posts mark a notable escalation in Red Bull's stance. Just days earlier at Monza, the team's frustration had been confined to the cockpit. Max Verstappen was cynical about Red Bull's straight-line deficit during the race, saying: "It's a shame that we're losing so much on the straight. That's not news, we've known that for a while. Apparently we do have the fastest engine."

As previously covered by GPblog, the Dutchman's radio messages reflected growing irritation with the gap between the FIA's data and what Red Bull see on track.

Verstappen said at last weekend's Italian Grand Prix that Red Bull "don't see the same numbers" as the FIA, while team principal Laurent Mekies has maintained that, in his view, there was "not a single data point" suggesting that Red Bull-Ford Powertrains has the best engine on the grid. That private scepticism has now gone public through the team's official channels.

The ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) system was introduced for the 2026 regulations to prevent any single manufacturer from holding a long-term engine advantage.

Red Bull Powertrains was found to have retained its status as the most powerful ICE in the FIA's most recent findings, meaning the team is unable to use a homologation upgrade to its power unit where its rivals can.

The assessment ruled that Mercedes are allowed one extra upgrade, being 2-4 per cent behind Red Bull, while Audi, Ferrari, and Honda are allowed two extra upgrades as the FIA found them to be more than 4 per cent away from Red Bull's ICE power.

As GPblog has explained, the ADUO system measures only the internal combustion engine and ignores the electrical side of the power unit entirely.

Red Bull officially has the best engine in Formula 1 despite having yet to win a grand prix in 2026, while Mercedes HPP has powered 11 victories and Ferrari two. The FIA has admitted that the ADUO system does have its weaknesses, yet nothing has been changed, and Red Bull remain the benchmark.

Red Bull will remain the F1 engine benchmark until at least the next stage of ADUO, which is set to look at the Dutch Grand Prix through to the Mexican Grand Prix. Until then, the team appears content to let its social media accounts do the talking.