Red Bull Challenges FIA ADUO Verdict as Mekies Disputes ICE Benchmark

Red Bull is pushing back against the FIA's initial ADUO assessment, which ranked its Ford power unit as the strongest and left the team with zero development tokens through the Canadian Grand Prix. Team principal Laurent Mekies insists that neither internal data nor recent on-track results support the conclusion that Red Bull holds any ICE advantage over Mercedes.

Why it matters:

The ADUO mechanism is designed to help disadvantaged engine manufacturers close the gap, not to freeze out competitive teams. If Red Bull is wrongly classified as the ICE benchmark, rivals could gain extra development rights for electrical components while Red Bull remains frozen, distorting the very parity the system was created to protect.

The details:

• The FIA shared the first ADUO results with manufacturers in Monaco, but a public announcement remains pending while Red Bull requests additional verification of sensors and data methodology.
• The provisional rankings would give Red Bull no tokens, Mercedes one, and Ferrari, Audi, and Honda two apiece.
• Mekies accepts the ICE-only measurement framework, noting all parties agreed in spring 2025 to keep the analysis simple rather than include battery or MGU-K performance.
• Red Bull cites recent qualifying results as proof: sixth-place starts in Canada and Barcelona — both high-ICE-sensitivity circuits — contrast with Monaco, where low ICE sensitivity produced a gap of just 0.04s to pole.
• Strategically, Mercedes could hold its single token until the next ADUO window or apply it to the electrical side, ensuring Red Bull remains trapped as the ICE benchmark regardless of real-world performance.

What's next:

The FIA is completing additional factual checks before locking in the rankings. Mekies is demanding "extreme certainty" in the ICE pecking order, warning that a flawed classification could leave Red Bull checkmated and unable to defend its position for the rest of the upgrade cycle.