FIA admits F1's ADUO system has "weaknesses" – but defends its measurements

Few topics in the Formula 1 paddock have generated as much political debate during the first half of the season as ADUO, the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities.

The system was introduced as a safety net for a manufacturer that falls behind, partly in response to Honda's situation under the previous regulations, but in practice it has turned into a political battleground.

Toto Wolff immediately warned that it should not become a "leapfrog mechanism", although there was considerable surprise when it was not Mercedes High Performance Powertrains but Red Bull Ford Powertrains that ended up at the top of the FIA's first ranking.

There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the ADUO measurements are based solely on the internal combustion engine, creating a significant discrepancy between the measurement method and the development opportunities, which also cover the electrical side of the power unit.

Secondly, there have been suggestions in the paddock that several manufacturers – including Mercedes and Ferrari – played the game cleverly by not showing their full hand during the opening race weekends in order to secure one ADUO token, or even two in Ferrari's case.

The outcome of the first period has caused frustration at Red Bull, which also explains why those results have still not been publicly announced.

Red Bull Ford Powertrains has been placed at the top of the standings by the FIA following the first measurement period, much to the frustration of Red Bull’s top management

Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images

FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis previously indicated that he was open to considering more parameters for the ADUO measurements – such as the size of the turbo – but that teams and manufacturers pushed to keep the system as simple as possible.

That raises the question of whether the FIA has been surprised by all the controversy surrounding ADUO this season, which Autosport asked Tombazis.

"Well, in F1 it seems that almost everything is quite sensitive. So it's very rare that you get 11 teams and five or six PU manufacturers saying, 'Fantastic, we all agree'," the Greek replied.

"The only thing I think that everybody agrees on is that the August shutdown is a good thing, and I have to remind you that it was my idea.

"But that's the only thing that everybody agrees on. I think everything else [is difficult]. And even that took time for everybody to agree on. You know, when Franz Tost was still in place, he didn't want it."

According to Tombazis, two different aspects need to be distinguished when assessing ADUO: how accurate the measurements are and whether the system is working as originally intended.

Amid all the dissatisfaction surrounding the outcome of period one, Red Bull requested a factual verification of the results, but according to Tombazis, the FIA's measurements have proven to be accurate.

"Everything is quite sensitive because everyone is so competitive and so focused on their relative position compared to the others. So yes, it has been quite a challenge," he continued.

"I think our measurement, in my opinion, has proven to be very accurate. With that said, has everything worked fine? No, because obviously people are not happy and so on. Do we need to think about improvements in the future? Yes, I would say so."

Tombazis acknowledges that the system may need changes in the coming years, but insists that the measurements are correct

Photo by: Kym Illman / Getty Images

One of the apparent flaws is that the other manufacturers could effectively put Red Bull in checkmate. If they continue playing the game and do not use the tokens they have been awarded to develop the internal combustion engine, they could theoretically keep Red Bull at the top of the ranking for longer.

Tombazis, however, does not believe things will go that far in practice: "Well, I don't think it would be convenient for you to always be below [your maximum power] just to keep getting more opportunities, because then what's the point of opportunities if it isn't ultimately for you to be on top?"

That said, the 58-year-old admits that the system needs a rethink for the coming years: "I think the system is working as it was designed, but I do think there are some weaknesses that we need to address in the future. Also to make it less time-consuming and less controversial, we do need to make some steps to improve it in the future."

One logical suggestion would be to consider the entire power unit in the measurements rather than just the ICE, but Tombazis does not want to discuss specific ideas at this stage.

ADUO works for Honda, but does it work for F1 as a whole?

Honda will introduce its first ADUO upgrade at Zandvoort and states that the system works well for the manufacturer that needs it most

Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

Honda is naturally the manufacturer with the largest deficit and is therefore the clearest example of what ADUO was originally designed for.

General trackside manager and chief engineer Shintaro Orihara says the system does work for Honda, although he is open to a rethink in the longer term for the benefit of the championship as a whole.

"I think the number we received from the FIA looks reasonable. I would say that number is fair. And also, thanks to ADUO, we are now working hard to develop our engine," Orihara told Autosport.

"So, at this moment, it's difficult to say if the ADUO system is working correctly [or not]. But, at least for Honda, we have the maximum chance to develop our engine thanks to the ADUO system.

"Maybe we adjust [things after] monitoring how the ADUO system works for Formula 1. It is working well for Honda, but we need to keep monitoring how that works for all manufacturers. It should be fair. At this moment, it looks fair for Honda, but we need to keep monitoring it."