BONUS: Our reaction to F1’s new engine catchup programme
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What is the F1 engine catchup programme and why is it controversial?
Hello everybody and welcome back to the P1 Podcast with Matt and Tommy. So Tommy, we need to talk about this whole engine thing because it's quite shocking. It's quite surprising what has dripped out to the public, right? So essentially how we understand this is that... Well, the FIA, let's start from the beginning. The FIA have this ADUO thing, which is basically... Go on, you know the exact... It's the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities. Okay, you definitely read that. I could see your eyes. So essentially, it is a catch-up program. It's not a balance of performance. It's to... Try and help the manufacturers, the power unit developers that have struggled at the beginning of this regulation set to make sure there isn't a massive chasm when we go through the next months, the next years.
How does the FIA's Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities work?
So the results haven't been announced to the public because they have fear of sounding bad, these brands.
Which is crazy because they need to work out badly what they're doing with this. Because if it's going to be such a pivotal moment in the Formula One season, they can't hide it. But they want to hide it because the manufacturers want to hide it.
They are to a degree, right? So what we know, let's get into what we know right now. So Red Bull powertrains have been deemed the best ICE, right? So let's just clear this up right now. Of course, it's a 55-45 split between the ICE and the battery stuff, right? The 55% is the internal combustion engine. For some reason, the FIA are measuring just that, the V6. Just the ICE, yeah. Just the V6. Because maybe they thought it was easier to judge it. I don't know what the reasons are. It doesn't make any sense, really.
No, because it's 45% of the entire thing you're doing is not involved.
And also, I would argue the 45% is the biggest problem for some of the teams. It's not the thing that they've been doing for a very long time, which is just the normal internal combustion engine to a lot of degree.
Yeah, definitely. Because an ICE, you know... Back in the good old days when we just had a V8 engine, you saw midfielders getting podiums and things and being fine because it's a very simple engine that everyone builds and everyone's quite close. But let's be honest, when they start building these really complex power units and things, that's when the field spread gets so massive because all the battery and hybrid issues can be so varied by teams. And that's the bit that they're not measuring here, which is insane to me.
And it feels to me like they don't actually have a method of measuring it. And that's why they've committed to a more simple ICE test to be able to try and close the field. But the problem here is that Red Bull have been deemed to have the best technology. I see. So they get no upgrades, zilch, until it's remeasured in period two of this whole thing. So there's three periods before we then go into 2027. So right now they can't do anything. They are fully stuck in place. Then we have Mercedes. who are allowed to have one upgrade this year and one upgrade next year. So this is not just locked in for now, but this is what they're allowed to do. So they, Mercedes, who have won every single Grand Prix this year, are allowed to upgrade their engine once, and they've got an extra three million, haven't they, as well, to spend.
It's three million to spend and 70 extra operational hours granted.
Good. Right. And also the thing with this that I find the most interesting is that there is a limit in the sense of they can't just go, oh, we're going to use this all for next year if they've been allowed an upgrade for this year. Now, they have to use it this year. But when you think about Formula One, teams are always a season or two ahead anyway in terms of their plans. Mercedes don't need to upgrade this power unit for this year. Not at all. They could be already looking for next season. They could bring it for Abu Dhabi, as far as I'm aware and how I understand this. So for Mercedes to have an upgrade compared to Red Bull, who have been nowhere near the win really for a lot of the Grand Prix, of course, Max has had some star moments, but realistically, come on, they are not on the same level as Mercedes when you take into account the entire power unit.
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