FIA hand Ferrari perfect chance to catch Mercedes as F1 rule change confirmed
Ferrari and other F1 teams have been handed an opportunity to close the engine gap to Mercedes following a new FIA ruling.
Mercedes have dominated the opening stage of the 2026 F1 season, with George Russell leading teammate Kimi Antonelli by four points heading into the third round at Suzuka.
Russell and Antonelli have qualified and finished one-two in both the opening grands prix of the season, with their engine advantage proving to be the difference.
Despite the silver arrows dominance Ferrari have enjoyed a positive start to the season, finishing third and fourth in both Melbourne and Shanghai.
Advert
Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have taken the lead on lap one, with Ferrari's small turbo allowing for lightning launches off the line, however, the Scuderia don't have the race pace to match Mercedes.
Ferrari are planning major upgrades for the Miami Grand Prix, with a test at Monza confirmed during the month long April break caused by the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Earlier in the season it was confirmed that from the 1st of June, engine compression ratio limits will be tested both in hot and cold conditions in order to combat Mercedes' advantage.
However, the prancing horse could have more chances to close the engine gap despite the design specifications of the engine effectively being frozen.
The FIA have set three periods of Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (known as ADUO), with any team judged to be more than two percent behind Mercedes allowed the opportunity to develop their power unit.
This will be judged after the sixth race of the season, with the rule being brought in to avoid a repeat of Mercedes' dominance in the years following the 2014 engine regulation change.
Power unit manufacturers who meet the two percent threshold will be allowed one performance upgrade this year, with another also permitted in 2027.
For manufacturers who have a four percent gap to Mercedes or more, two in-season upgrades will be granted for both this and next season.
Ferrari believe ADUO will hold key for championship fight
Speaking at the Chinese Grand Prix, Fred Vasseur suggested that the ADUO will be crucial for the Scuderia, with doubts over the impact of the new compression ratio test.
"I'm not convinced that the new compression ratio rule will be a gamechanger,” he told the media via Crash.net
"It's more that you will have the ADUO at one stage and the introduction of the ADUO will be an opportunity for us to close the gap but once again it's not just about pure performance.
"I think you have a lot in the energy management, a lot in the chassis and it would be a mistake from our side to be just focused on one parameter.”
Tom Jenkins