The FIA is expected to grant Ferrari Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities, opening mid-season power-unit work that, combined with new software and aero parts, targets the roughly 2 percent straight-line deficit to Mercedes. The first steps land at the Miami International Autodrome, where Ferrari will run revised energy-management code and a new rear wing. Mercedes is preparing its own upgrades. Kimi Antonelli and Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur both accept that ADUO could change the picture and narrow the gap.
ADUO is a framework introduced for 2026 that permits mid-season homologation evolutions when a power unit is more than 2 percent down on a reference. It also unlocks extra testing hours and budget relief to speed up fixes. The timeline is still being finalized. The original target was the sixth race in Miami, but calendar changes and upcoming F1 Commission decisions may shift that window. Mercedes is set to provide the reference. Ferrari is earmarked as a beneficiary, with Audi, Cadillac, and Red Bull-Ford also possible candidates if they meet the threshold.
Ferrari’s short-term plan does not wait for the policy to activate. In Miami the team will introduce a revised energy-management software package. It features new harvesting and deployment strategies and algorithms to reduce severe clipping on the straights. Validation took place ahead of the event. On the chassis side, Ferrari has a major aerodynamic update. The focus is a reworked rear wing known internally as the Macarena flap, paired with changes to the floor and sidepods. Front-wing elements are under review and could appear in Canada.
The power-unit path under ADUO targets the root of the speed loss. Ferrari’s 2026 concept uses a smaller Honeywell turbo to sharpen launch performance. That choice trades some straight-line power for better starts, costing about 25 horsepower, or close to the 2 percent gap. With ADUO access, Ferrari would be able to pursue targeted combustion, turbo, and hybrid evolutions. The allowance also raises the spending cap for this work. The aim is to recover top speed while holding on to the start strength that the smaller turbo brings.
The competitive stakes are clear. Mercedes remains confident as it readies its own updates, but the ADUO mechanism offers Ferrari a route to close the performance delta on the straights. Antonelli and Vasseur have both acknowledged the potential of the program to tilt the fight. Final eligibility and deployment timing will be set after the upcoming F1 Commission discussions and Monaco milestones. The outcome will depend on how quickly Ferrari turns the software, aero, and ADUO-enabled engine work into race-day speed and results.