Lewis Hamilton is set to get another major boost to ignite an F1 title bid with Ferrari poised to bring another important upgrade to the Austrian Grand Prix.
The 41-year-old Hamilton claimed his first victory in red at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix on Sunday with a stunning drive to capitalise on a raft of aerodynamic upgrades from the Scuderia.
After trailing in the wake of the dominant Mercedes for the first six races of the season (outside of race starts), the Italian giants appeared to close the gap in one solitary weekend as those changes paid off handsomely. Including a groundbreaking new innovation in their wheel design.
With runaway championship leader Kimi Antonelli a DNF in Barcelona after a mechanical failure, Hamilton now trails the young Italian by only 41 points. And according to reports from Italy, Ferrari are set to give Hamilton another boost in Austria, all thanks to a new FIA rule kicking in.
Ferrari ready to capitalise on ADUO ruling
ADUO (Advanced Development and Upgrade Opportunities) gives teams with weaker power units some extra spending power under F1’s cost cap to bring in upgrades during the season.
With Red Bull having the most power ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) and Mercedes being behind them, Ferrari are in prime position with two power unit upgrades for the rest of the season.
| Engine | Teams | Upgrades |
|---|---|---|
| Red Bull Powertrains | Red Bull, Racing Bulls | Benchmark |
| Mercedes | McLaren, Williams, Mercedes, Alpine | One Upgrade |
| Ferrari | Haas, Cadillac, Ferrari | Two Upgrades |
| Audi | Audi | Two Upgrades |
| Honda | Aston Martin | Two Upgrades |
According to Italian outlet Autoracer, the first of those upgrades with a new and improved ADUO1 Ferrari power unit could be unleased in Austria on Sunday June 28. The second would likely come no more than six races later.
More power for Hamilton
In short, Hamilton and Ferrari should arrive at the Red Bull Ring with a little more horsepower at their disposal to again take the fight to Mercedes.
There is extra optimism at Maranello thanks to the reliability issues suffered by the vaunted Mercedes power unit. This has affected both Silver Arrows drivers George Russell and Antonelli, as well as McLaren and Williams.
How does ADUO work?
The five power unit manufacturers on the 2026 F1 grid are Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull Powertrains, Audi and Honda. On March 1 they all submitted their power unit designs to the FIA for homologation.
After this date, it is pretty difficult for power unit manufacturers to make any changes to their engine without seeking approval from the FIA. However, for those power unit manufacturers struggling to catch up with the rest of the field, a safety net was put in place.
To receive this safety net – ADUO – power unit manufacturers must meet a specific criteria. According to Article 4 of Appendix 4 of the new technical regulations, a manufacturer qualifies for the upgrades if their: “ICE Performance Index is at least two per cent but less than four per cent below the best-performing ICE.”
They are then eligible for one additional homologation upgrade in the qualifying year (i.e. 2026) and one additional homologation upgrade in the following season.
If their ICE Performance Index is ‘at least four per cent below the best-performing ICE’, a power unit manufacturer can then receive two additional homologation upgrades in the qualifying year and two additional homologation upgrades in the following year.
