Audi Formula 1 Team Principal Mattia Binotto has called for a redesign of the FIA's ADUO (Accelerated Development of Underperforming Others) power unit development regulation, arguing that the system has deviated from its intended purpose. Binotto's statement comes amidst controversy surrounding Mercedes' entitlement to additional development rights under the system despite winning seven of the season's first nine races.<\/p>\n
The ADUO system determines which manufacturer qualifies for additional development tokens by measuring only the V6 engine performance on the track. According to the FIA, Red Bull Ford Powertrains' V6 was designated as the reference power, preventing Red Bull from making additional developments outside the homologation schedule. Mercedes, however, fell below the criteria in terms of V6 output and thus qualified for additional development. Red Bull appealed this decision; however, further investigations by the FIA did not change the existing findings.<\/p>\n
Rival manufacturers have long suspected Mercedes and Ferrari of deliberately suppressing V6 power, either due to reliability concerns or to take advantage of the ADUO system. Binotto explained this reasoning to Motorsport.com: \u201cI think the main problem is that the system only measures track performance. A team with a generally superior car can race without pushing the power unit to its full potential. It\u2019s possible Mercedes has a higher-potential engine, but doesn\u2019t feel the need to push it to the limit because of the advantage the car already provides. In such a case, they could have turned that advantage into an additional development margin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Binotto stated that he was not questioning the technical competence of the FIA's measurement process, but directed his main criticism towards the system's philosophy. \u201cI'm not debating the results the FIA has reached; they have the necessary tools and data. However, it's important to remember the initial purpose of ADUO. The concept was designed as a safety net so that if a manufacturer were significantly behind from the start when regulations were almost frozen, they wouldn't carry that disadvantage for five years. The aim was to create a foundation for those behind to close the gap; this principle already exists in the chassis and aerodynamics fields. Those behind in the constructors' ranking can use more hours in the wind tunnel; similarly, those behind in the power unit get more development opportunities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
ADUO's sliding scale awards additional tokens whenever a manufacturer's V6 falls behind the reference power by two percent. The point of contention is this: while the metric that triggers token acquisition is solely V6 performance, these tokens allow for radical changes to almost the entire power unit, including hybrid components. This allows manufacturers to significantly increase overall power pack performance without touching the V6 output and secure new development rights for the next cycle.<\/p>\n
One of the factors influencing the design of ADUO was Audi itself; as a new manufacturer, it needed this assurance against the risk of its first power unit falling short of competition. While Audi engines weren't yet at the level of their rivals, they made a reasonable start. Honda was the party that needed the system the most. However, Binotto argues that ADUO has deviated from this original logic and needs correction. The FIA stated that it wanted to take more parameters into account when creating the system, but the decision to keep only V6 power as the determining criterion came from the manufacturers.<\/p>\n