Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has publicly appealed to the FIA to make sure that the new 2026 power‑unit rules, which permit manufacturers to develop their engines during the season, do not upset the established competitive order in Formula 1. The 2026 technical package includes a performance‑balancing clause designed to give teams that fall behind the leading power‑unit supplier a chance to close the gap. Under the rules, the championship will feature three distinct windows called Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUOs). Any manufacturer whose internal‑combustion engine is judged to be at least two percent slower than the benchmark unit will be eligible for extra development work during those windows.
The FIA is expected to clarify how these provisions will be applied before the next race weekend in Miami, where Mercedes will enter as the clear front‑runner after winning the first three Grands Prix of the season. Wolff stressed that the spirit of the ADUO system is to enable teams that are lagging to catch up, not to allow them to leap ahead of the leaders. "The principle behind ADUO is to give the back‑markers a realistic path to improve their power units, not to hand them a shortcut to the top," Wolff said earlier in the week. "Any decision on who receives an ADUO must be made with absolute precision, transparency and an awareness of how it could reshape the championship picture.
Gamesmanship has no place here; the FIA must act in the right spirit and with clear criteria." Mercedes’ own power unit has set the benchmark for the season, and the German outfit is likely to become the reference point for any ADUO allocations. Wolff hinted that, at present, only one supplier appears to need assistance – Honda, which currently powers only Aston Martin.
He added that the other manufacturers are broadly clustered in the same performance band. "There is one engine maker that seems to be struggling and could benefit from help, but the rest are essentially on a similar level," Wolff explained. "I would be surprised – and frankly disappointed – if the ADUO process ends up reshuffling the current pecking order." Mercedes is a works team that builds its own engines and also supplies three customer teams – McLaren, Alpine and Williams.
Ferrari, another works team, provides power units to Haas and Cadillac. Red Bull has entered the arena with its own power unit for the first time and supplies its junior squad Racing Bulls, while Audi operates as a works team without any customer outfits. The closest challenger to Mercedes in the early rounds has been Ferrari.
Team principal Fred Vasseur has described ADUO as a chance for the Scuderia to "close the gap" to the Silver Arrows. When asked whether a Ferrari ADUO could threaten Mercedes later in the year, Wolff replied that he was not worried, but rather vigilant. "I wouldn't say I'm worried," he said. "We are all watching how the FIA makes its decisions, and we have detailed analytics on our own engine performance as well as that of our rivals.
I trust the FIA to protect the sport’s integrity. The ADUO is meant as a catch‑up tool, not a leap‑frog mechanism." Wolff’s comments come as the sport prepares for the Miami Grand Prix, which will also host the second Sprint weekend of the season. The race will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, and fans can stream the event via the NOW platform without a long‑term contract. In summary, Wolff is urging the governing body to apply the ADUO rules with utmost care, ensuring that any granted upgrades serve their intended purpose of narrowing performance gaps without destabilising the current hierarchy.
He emphasizes that transparency, data‑driven decision‑making and a commitment to fairness are essential to maintaining the competitive balance that has defined the opening stages of the 2026 Formula 1 campaign.