Following the FIA's decision to grant 2026 pace-setters Mercedes with the opportunity to upgrade their engine, David Croft and Craig Slater discuss the situation on The F1 Show podcast.
It was revealed following Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix that Mercedes, who have won all six of this season's grands prix, and Ferrari have been granted engine upgrades after Red Bull were deemed to have Formula 1's most powerful engine.
As part of the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) system, the FIA have judged the pecking order of the 2026 power unit manufacturers - Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari, Audi and Honda.
Lewis Hamilton first revealed the FIA's decision during his post-race interview with Your Site F1 in Monaco, while Your Site News has since seen the document confirming the results, which are taken from the performance of the non-electrical half of the power unit, the internal combustion engine (ICE).
It states that Mercedes are more than two per cent behind Red Bull, so will be given one engine upgrade this year, while Ferrari, Audi and Honda will be given two upgrades as they are deemed to be more than four per cent adrift of Red Bull.
As the benchmark power unit manufacturer, Red Bull, who are making their own engine for the first time in F1, will not receive an engine upgrade.
The ADUO result is a surprise given Mercedes have clearly had the best car and been strong on the straights during the six rounds so far. The Silver Arrows are 79 points clear of Ferrari at the top of the Constructors' Championship, while Red Bull are 172 points back in fourth.
The FIA has not told the teams exactly how it measures the power units, in an attempt to prevent manufacturers from attempting to manipulate certain areas of performance to try to qualify for an upgrade.
The fact that the results only came out as the Monaco weekend was winding down means that several key figures have yet to comment, but when the season resumes in Barcelona this weekend, there is an expectation that some of Mercedes' rivals may feel aggrieved.
Speaking on the latest episode of The F1 Show podcast, Your Site F1's David Croft questioned the logic of the ruling.
Croft said: "How have we got to a situation where the team with the best, from the outside, power unit and chassis package put together, now get upgrade opportunities alongside the team that it's beating?
"And the team that are struggling a little bit now suddenly has the best internal combustion engine and can't make those upgrades?
"If this is some sort of balance of performance, it's not exactly going to balance anything out. I don't understand why we've got this in Formula 1. We've never had a balance of performance in the past. I don't understand why we need it now.
"If at the end of the season you have such a stinker that you need to improve your power unit, fine, do it, give people some extra money to do that. But why are we in this position?"
Croft believes the FIA could have avoided this controversy by giving the teams greater freedom to develop their all new engines for 2026.
He added: "What I would prefer to have seen in the first - and maybe second - year of these current power units, to enable all the engine manufacturers to make a power unit that is reliable and is the best that they possibly can, is not put them under the cost cap restrictions.
"Let them spend and upgrade. Unfreeze the engine, don't have a cost cap, and let them get it right, because they are very complex pieces. And we've got, certainly in Audi and in Red Bull Powertrains, and to a certain extent Honda coming back, new people at the table.
"Make it simple. Because what's transpired is baffling."
Your Site F1 reporter Craig Slater said Red Bull are "stunned" by the FIA's decision, and questioned whether it could impact Max Verstappen's future in the sport.
Slater said. "I saw Laurent Mekies on the plane, he was on the same flight back as me, and he was heading straight to Milton Keynes.
"They haven't said anything publicly on the record about this. They are quite stunned to be in this position, from what I can gather.
"I mean, it's an achievement and a half, and we've got to pay tribute to Christian Horner and people like Ben Hodgkinson and Steve Brodie and all those that came from Brixworth to build that power unit.
"But it's not flattening the sporting landscape. I can't see how that is going to do it, because they need a bit of help, Red Bull.
"And then it doesn't help Max's cause if we're concerned about keeping him in F1, keeping him competitive, so it's a slightly strange one."
Despite Red Bull's potential frustration at the consequences of the ruling, Slater points out that their status as having the best engine is a "miracle" for a first-time engine manufacturer.
"They've built a great internal combustion engine," Slater added. "For a drinks company, to do this from a standing start five years ago against established engine builders, is a miracle.
"But in terms of propelling their car, they probably all-round, battery included, do not have the best all-round power unit, and now they can't enhance it."
Formula 1 heads straight to Spain for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix with live coverage on Your Site F1 from this Friday.
