Red Bull pushes back as FIA data ranks Ford‑powered engine as F1’s strongest

Some Formula 1 teams were eagerly awaiting the release of the ADUO report — the document that determines which power units get development concessions. And according to early estimates, one team may end up with no concessions at all: Red Bull.

To the surprise of many (and the suspicion of others), projections suggest Red Bull’s Ford‑branded internal‑combustion engine has been classified as the most competitive in the field based on performance data collected between the Australian and Canadian Grands Prix. But the team isn’t buying it — and they’re pushing back hard.

The controversy began when Lewis Hamilton casually remarked during the Monaco Grand Prix press conference that “Red Bull has the most powerful engine, Mercedes is second, and we (Ferrari) are behind.” That hierarchy raised eyebrows, especially considering the constructors’ standings: Red Bull sits fourth, far off the leaders, while Mercedes has dominated the season with a W17 that has racked up win after win through the first seven rounds.

Mercedes insists there’s “no favoritism” in the ADUO results. Red Bull, however, openly disputes the FIA’s analysis.

“We don’t see a single data point that puts us ahead of Mercedes”

Red Bull argues that the FIA’s measurements — which determine how much development freedom each team gets — don’t reflect reality. Team principal Laurent Mekies told Motorsport that the methodology itself may be flawed:

“To correctly award concessions to the dominant team and not the one chasing them, you’d need extremely high confidence in how the hierarchy of internal‑combustion performance is evaluated.”

Mekies stresses that Red Bull fully agrees with the rulebook: the ADUO should only assess the internal‑combustion engine (ICE), not hybrid systems. That’s not the issue. The issue, he says, is the data.

“We don’t see a single data sample where we rate better than the competition — let alone consistently.”

He then points directly at Mercedes, urging a deeper review: “We’d like a more thorough discussion, because we don’t see any data suggesting we have an advantage over our friends at Mercedes.”

FIA will review the methodology — but that doesn’t mean the outcome changes

The FIA has already confirmed it will re‑examine both the methodology and the initial results before publishing the final ADUO report. But a review doesn’t guarantee revisions. Even if Red Bull points to races like Canada, Monaco, or Barcelona as evidence that their engine isn’t the class of the field, the final decision rests entirely with the FIA.

And if the governing body sticks to its original assessment, Red Bull could find itself in an unusual position: the only team with no development concessions, forced to sit still while everyone else gets to upgrade.

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