(Motorsport-Total.com) – Although the second ADUO period – the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities in Formula 1 – ended after the Hungarian Grand Prix, the results of the first period have still not been officially announced.
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However, during the race weekend in Monaco, all manufacturers were already informed of the result behind the scenes, with Red Bull Ford Powertrains surprisingly rated at the top.
Despite the factory team’s dominant start to the season, Mercedes High Performance Powertrains was awarded one token, while Ferrari, Audi, and Honda each received two upgrade opportunities.
At that time, the FIA had also prepared the public announcement, but it was never released in the following weeks. The reason is that Red Bull expressed significant dissatisfaction with the first result behind the scenes, with even CEO Oliver Mintzlaff getting involved.
However, the new manufacturer based in Milton Keynes had few options to challenge the result. Yes, the system has its weaknesses – it only measures the combustion engine, while the upgrade opportunities also apply to the electric side of the power unit – but nothing can be changed about that in the short term.
FIA admitted weaknesses in the system
Nikolas Tombazis, FIA Director of Formula Sport, told the media that he was open to considering more parameters – such as the size of the turbocharger – but that teams and manufacturers had pushed last year to keep the system as simple as possible.
Red Bull could therefore only request a factual review of the results. Team principal Laurent Mekies said that from his point of view there was “not a single data point” indicating that Red Bull Ford Powertrains had the best engine on the grid.
In reality, however, this review of the facts does not seem to have changed the result of the first period. It is no coincidence that Tombazis stated on inquiry that the FIA measurements had proven to be “very precise.”
“Does that mean everything went smoothly? No, because obviously people are not happy and so on. Do we need to think about improvements for the future? Yes, I would say so,” said Tombazis.
In the paddock, the feeling prevails that manufacturers like Mercedes and Ferrari played the game smartly by not always putting all their cards on the table during the first race weekends and thereby securing an ADUO token.
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Can the FIA’s new ADUO evaluation offer Red Bull a lifeline in Formula 1?
Hope for new ADUO evaluation
Red Bull’s hopes now primarily rest on the second period, which included the races up to and including the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Based on the prescribed timeframe, the governing body should inform all manufacturers of the results before the Italian Grand Prix in Monza; an announcement is expected this week or early next week.
Red Bull must hope that its combustion engine is no longer rated as the best in this second evaluation, which would allow the team to receive a token and continue developing its power unit this year.
In this regard, the team is dependent on its rivals, who can effectively play a chess game. If the other manufacturers do not use their tokens for the combustion engine and continue not to show their full potential at certain points, they could keep Red Bull at the top of the rankings longer.
However, Tombazis said before the summer break that he did not believe it would come to that: “Well, I don’t think it would be beneficial to always stay below [its maximum performance] just to continue getting more opportunities. Because what use are opportunities if they don’t ultimately lead to being at the top?”
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To receive a token, Red Bull’s deficit to the best combustion engine on the grid during the second ADUO period must be estimated at more than two percent. If Red Bull remains at the top or the deficit to the best combustion engine is rated at less than two percent, the team will again receive no upgrade opportunity.
In this scenario, Red Bull would only have one hope left to modify its power unit this season: the third period, which ends after the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
However, Mekies and his team hope to get this opportunity earlier. If this happens, every manufacturer in the first season under this year’s completely new regulations would have received at least one token. Clarity on this matter is expected before the media day in Monza.
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