Racing
© fuji.tim
Ferrari is closing in on a potentially decisive Monza moment, with its ADUO2 version of the 067/6 power unit in final long-duration testing for a home-race debut that could trim Mercedes’ straight-line edge without costing Charles Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton a grid penalty.
That opening matters because Ferrari has used only three engines so far in 2026, leaving it room to introduce the new specification within its allocation. Mercedes does not have that flexibility. Kimi Antonelli and George Russell have already reached the limit of four permitted power units, so any further engine exchange at Monza would bring an immediate 20-place grid penalty.
Ferrari’s engine group, led by Enrico Gualtieri, is pushing through reliability checks in Maranello before the planned introduction. The target is not just extra performance, but extra performance without any hit to durability. The team’s long-duration dyno work is aimed at making sure the second FIA-approved upgrade step for the V6 turbo closes the gap to Mercedes’ M17 E Performance while leaving the lifespan of the 067/6 unchanged.
Mercedes is not standing still. It is also studying a Monza evolution of its M17 E Performance, with reported changes to combustion, the turbo and updated Petronas fuel. But Ferrari’s strategic advantage is that it can make its move cleanly, while Mercedes would have to weigh any performance gain against the certainty of grid drops.
Before Monza, Ferrari is expected to bring only smaller changes to Zandvoort, focused on fine-tuning the SF-26 for the circuit’s characteristics. The movable rear-wing element with a three-part section in the middle of the main profile is not expected to return there.
The stakes for Monza stretch beyond a single race weekend. Mercedes leads the constructors’ championship on 379 points to Ferrari’s 307, while Antonelli holds a 50-point advantage over Hamilton in the drivers’ standings. If Ferrari’s new engine delivers the performance increase it is chasing, Monza could become the point where the title fight shifts from managing Mercedes’ advantage to attacking it directly.