Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Aduo Gets 2 Homologations After FIA Judgement
Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Aduo now sits at the center of Formula 1’s first engine pecking-order ruling under ADUO. Ferrari will receive two 2026 homologations after the FIA judged Red Bull’s Ford-branded power unit the benchmark and classified Ferrari more than 4% adrift.
Mercedes also gained an upgrade path, but only one homologation for 2026 because it was judged more than 2% adrift. The decision gives Ferrari more development room than Mercedes, and it was passed to manufacturers on Monaco Grand Prix race day.
Red Bull Sets the Benchmark
Red Bull was declared Formula 1’s best engine under the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities system. The FIA’s first judgement uses the internal combustion engine alone, not gains from energy harvesting, deployment, efficiency, or advanced energy management.
That narrow test produced a split result. A manufacturer more than 2% adrift of the benchmark gets one upgrade for 2026 and another for 2027. A manufacturer 4% or more adrift gets two upgrades in 2026 and two more in 2027, which is why Ferrari’s position triggered the larger allowance.
Ferrari Gets Two 2026 Upgrades
Ferrari’s two homologations come with extra development headroom. The 4% to 6% bracket carries a $4.65 million cost cap allowance and 100 bench hours, while Mercedes’ more limited gain comes with a $3 million allowance and 70 hours of bench testing.
Higher gaps unlock bigger support. The scale rises to $6.35 million and 150 hours for 6% to 8%, then $8 million and 190 hours for 8% to 10%, before reaching $11 million and 230 hours for anything more than 10% off the benchmark.
Monaco Timing For 2026
The first of three ADUO assessment points in 2026 already passed on the recent Canadian Grand Prix. That means the Monaco Grand Prix race-day ruling was the first formal order of the pecking pecking order, and teams now know where they stand before the next assessment point arrives.
For Hamilton, the key link is Ferrari’s bigger allowance. The driver’s team now has two homologations to work with in 2026, while Mercedes has one, and the split leaves Ferrari with the larger path to close the gap under the FIA’s engine-only criteria.
