(Motorsport-Total.com) – It is news that should bring some relief to Aston Martin and engine partner Honda: The FIA, the world governing body for motorsport, has made important adjustments to the so-called ADUO system (“Additional Design and Upgrade Opportunities”).
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This instrument is intended to prevent a manufacturer from remaining unsuccessful for years by allowing additional development opportunities and exceptions to the budget cap during the ongoing season.
There is a clear mechanism: The greater the deficit of a manufacturer, more precisely the performance of the internal combustion engine (ICE) compared to a set reference value, the more extensive the concessions.
Honda’s deficit is currently so large that the FIA has now expanded the scale and added an additional level to the regulations. New in the regulations is a category for manufacturers whose ICE performance lags by more than ten percent, whereas the previous limit was eight percent.
The affected manufacturers, especially Honda, are thus granted up to eleven million dollars and up to 230 extra hours on the test bench. In addition, there is an exclusive supplementary allowance of eight million dollars for this year only.
Aston Martin wants to reconsider integration of the Honda engine
The technical regulations precisely define which components may be modified via the ADUO mechanism outside the usual homologation deadlines. And the system is not a given: The catch-up must succeed by its own efforts, which could still take some time in Honda’s case.
Moreover, the engine is currently not the only problem area at Aston Martin: The gearbox also caused problems in Miami. In addition, it seems that the integration of the power unit into the chassis of the AMR26 still has optimization potential.
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“The collaboration we had in recent weeks and the time available to us may also have allowed us to conduct one or the other conceptual study or review,” reveals chief race engineer Mike Krack.
“And all of this will flow into the development of the car in the coming years,” emphasizes the Luxembourger, stating that they will reconsider the integration of the Honda power unit for the future. “I think it was pretty good, and we learned a lot in this regard.”
First ADUO period begins after Canada
Originally, the ADUO allocation was to be based on performance values at three set points in the season, namely after races six, twelve, and eighteen. Due to the cancellation of the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the FIA has adjusted this schedule: The first evaluation will take place after the fifth race of the season, the Canadian Grand Prix.
The further deadlines are after the eleventh race in Hungary and the eighteenth Grand Prix in Mexico. However, the FIA wants to remain flexible: “These ADUO periods can be adjusted by the FIA in the event of significant changes to the race calendar,” it says.
“The proposed two-percent threshold and the subsequent determination of the ICE performance index will be reviewed or adjusted after the completion of ongoing activities between power unit manufacturers and Formula 1 teams to measure ICE performance on track.”
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