(Motorsport-Total.com) – After the race weekend in Zandvoort, the FIA has finally publicly confirmed what had already been known in the paddock since the Monaco weekend: Every manufacturer was allocated a token within the framework of the ADUO system – with the exception of Red Bull Ford Powertrains.
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Based on the first measurement period, the newcomer from Milton Keynes was placed at the top of the ranking – as the manufacturer with the strongest combustion engine in the field. The second measurement period, which ended after the Hungarian Grand Prix, did not change that.
The long delay in the official announcement is directly related to Red Bull’s dissatisfaction behind the scenes. The team repeatedly requested clarification; even CEO Oliver Mintzlaff got heavily involved in the matter.
Max Verstappen has been very reserved in recent months with statements on the ADUO topic – also to avoid antagonizing the FIA during the ongoing process. After the official publication, Motorsport-Total.com interviewed the Dutchman in Monza about the result.
Surprisingly, Verstappen indicated that the talks behind the scenes are by no means over: “My comments are still the same as last time. We as a team are surprised and do not see these numbers in ourselves. Therefore, we are still in talks with the FIA on this matter. We will see what comes out of it.”
The reference to ongoing talks is surprising, as the results are actually officially settled. However, the FIA clarified that Red Bull remains unhappy behind closed doors and expresses its displeasure – although this will no longer change the results.
Weakness of teams thus accepted
This is also because Red Bull has hardly any valid arguments at hand. The real problem lies deeper – namely in the basic structure of the system itself – but the teams can hardly do anything about it.
The fundamental weakness is that the measurements are based solely on the combustion engine, but the resulting upgrade possibilities also cover the electric side of the power unit.
Nikolas Tombazis, FIA Formula Sport Director, explained that he would have been open to including further parameters. However, the teams and manufacturers insisted on keeping the system as simple as possible.
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With Red Bull at the top of the combustion engine ranking, this weakness of the regulations is now exposed in the most bitter way possible: Red Bull lags behind on the electric side of the power unit and would have to improve exactly there, but cannot do so because the team did not receive an ADUO token.
When Verstappen was asked again about the ADUO topic in Madrid, he pointed exactly to this problem and explained that the Italian GP had ruthlessly exposed this discrepancy. “The thing is: of course, you measure the combustion engine, but not the battery, right? Those are two completely different things, and at the end of the day, both deliver almost the same performance.”
“If you only measure one component, we might be very good on the combustion engine, but not as strong on the battery compared to Mercedes. It’s hard to say, but that’s exactly how it looks at the moment.”
Stayed close in Monza thanks to Overtake mode
Monza provided confirmation of this: Verstappen was able to take on the fight against Mercedes with the help of the Overtake mode – and thus with additional energy that he could recover and deploy. But as soon as he was in the lead and the overtake mode was not available, the true limits became apparent.
“We simply did not have the same energy release as Mercedes, and that became extremely clear when I took the lead. It was incredibly hard to defend against them. I could only keep up with them when the Overtake mode was available to me,” says Verstappen.
“So we just have to do a better job and keep working. We have to try to improve in all respects: car, engine, battery – just everything. It never stops; it’s an ongoing development process. We know what we have to work on, but something like that takes time.”
However, that is easier said than done, because without an ADUO token, Red Bull’s hands are largely tied. Of course, the energy deployment strategy can be optimized for every track.
But Red Bull is the only manufacturer that is not allowed to add a performance upgrade and is thus somewhat dependent on the competition catching up to ever move away from the top of this specific ranking.
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