(Motorsport-Total.com) – Mercedes has started the new Formula 1 season with vigor and convincingly confirmed expectations in the first three races: The Silver Arrows have already secured three victories through George Russell and Kimi Antonelli and have also taken the lead in the Constructors’ World Championship with a solid margin.
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A key component of this success is the Mercedes power unit, which was already a topic of conversation before the season opener. In the paddock, the assessment is circulating that the Mercedes engine is superior to the Ferrari unit by at least 15 hp. In addition, there is an apparently more efficient energy recovery system.
Despite this clear performance advantage (in qualifying, the average gap is currently 0.497 seconds), a large part of the paddock assumes that the balance of power could change in the coming months.
ADUO mechanism as a possible turning point?
A key role could be played by the so-called ADUO system (for “Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities”). Formula 1’s new balancing instrument provides that power units that are between two and four percent below the reference value according to a special FIA performance metric are allowed to carry out targeted upgrades.
If the gap to the reference value is even more than four percent, additional concessions are granted. Originally, the assessment points were planned for each quarter of the 2026 season, i.e., races six, twelve, and eighteen.
However, due to the cancellations of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, the calendar has been shifted: The Miami Grand Prix now represents the fourth instead of the sixth race. Accordingly, the first assessment point has not yet been finally defined, and both Miami and Monaco are considered possible dates.
Antonelli: Ferrari will “definitely get closer”
Regardless of this, changes are imminent due to the long break, which is why Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli already expects the competition to tighten, as is usual in most regulatory cycles. “I know there will be big changes,” says the championship leader to Sky Sports.
“For example, Ferrari will definitely get closer through the ADUO regulation, which allows them to further develop the engine, because their car is already strong. If they manage to improve the engine as well, they will close the gap even further.”
“But I’m not too worried,” adds the 19-year-old Italian. “Ultimately, once I’m on the track, I’ll focus on what I’ve done in past race weekends: being as fast as possible, focusing on myself and my tasks.”
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“I am also sure that we will bring some important updates. The car is already strong and the dynamics in the team are excellent. Therefore, I am not too worried, but I am aware that the other teams will catch up sooner or later.”
Competition already closer to Mercedes in Japan
That is exactly why Toto Wolff remains deliberately cautious despite the strong start to the season. The Austrian avoids a comparison with the dominant phase from 2014 to 2021, in which Mercedes won eight titles in a row, not least with a view to the dynamics of the past regulatory cycle.
Thus, Red Bull dominated the years 2022 and 2023 before McLaren took over the leading role at the end of the ground-effect era and provided the new world champion with Lando Norris. In the 2025 overall standings, Red Bull ultimately even finished behind Mercedes.
“Maybe we would have wished that [ADUO] also applied to the two races in the Middle East and we could get a few more points,” joked Wolff in Japan. “People have learned, teams have learned, drivers are starting to understand how they can use these systems to their advantage, and we saw that for the first time today.”
This development was already apparent at the Japanese Grand Prix: After a strong start by Oscar Piastri, a McLaren victory was in the air before a strategically favorable safety car stop brought Antonelli back to the front. The trend in Suzuka was nevertheless clear: Mercedes’ lead is shrinking.
Mercedes Team Principal: “Miami will be a restart”
“What looked like a walkover for us in the first two races is not, and we have always warned about that,” Wolff emphasized in Suzuka. “Miami will also be a restart for me. How will the others’ upgrades work, how have we optimized all the other systems? It will be exciting.”
“We have to stay grounded. We have three races behind us and look like heroes. But in three races, people could say: ‘There are no more heroes, the others have become stronger,'” warns the Mercedes team principal.
“Therefore, at this point, I don’t want to compare the successful era with what we have started here. But we will definitely never stop believing that we can eventually develop a car and build the necessary structures to do that with the right drivers. And to see that finally taking shape is nice.”
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