FIA findings under scrutiny as Helmut Marko weighs in on Red Bull
Helmut Marko departed Red Bull after a two-decade stint in charge of its junior programme.
Helmut Marko vehemently disagrees with the FIA’s ADUO criteria, arguing that even if Red Bull has Formula 1’s most powerful combustion engine, it “certainly” does not have the best F1 2026 power unit overall.
Although Red Bull Powertrains is racing its first in-house engine in this year’s championship, the power unit designed in conjunction with Ford, its ICE has emerged as the best on the grid in the FIA’s Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities [ADUO] findings for two periods in succession.
Helmut Marko questions FIA criteria for Red Bull’s power unit
Red Bull questioned the ADUO findings when the first results were released as every one of its power unit manufacturer rivals, even the championship-leading Mercedes, received ADUO tokens to develop their engines.
Since the results of the first period were revealed, Audi, Ferrari and Honda all cashed in on one of their two tokens.
Despite that, Red Bull’s ICE has again been measured to be the standout on the grid, with its rival power unit manufacturers given further tokens.
Former Red Bull motorsport advisor Marko believes the ADUO system, which is based solely on the performance of the ICE, is flawed as the internal combustion engine counts for only a little over half of what a power unit generates.
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“These regulations are immature and should be changed immediately,” he told Austrian publication OE24. “The drive consists of a combustion engine, electric, software and battery.
“Red Bull certainly doesn’t have the best engine there.”
Red Bull has yet to win a race this season, with Max Verstappen securing the team’s only four podium finishes in the first 12 races.
Red Bull is fourth in the constructors’ championship on 186 points, less than half of Mercedes’ tally of 425.
Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA single-seater director, has previously conceded that improvements are probably required for its ADUO system.
Tombazis, speaking with Motorsport.com, revealed that tweaks are in the pipeline.
“I think our measurement, in my opinion, has proven to be very accurate,” he said.
“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.
“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.”
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