AUGUST 11, 2026

Tombazis open to ADUO changes for 2027

FIA’s Single Seaters Director Nikolas Tombazis has revealed the Fédération is already working with the teams and manufacturers to improve the way the ADUO - Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities - will be decided from the start of next year, the Greek engineer admitting the current system needs to be improved.

In an exclusive interview with Grandprix,com, Tombazis noted that “in Formula 1 almost everything is quite sensitive, so it's very rare that you get the eleven teams and five or six team manufacturers saying ‘fantastic, we all agree’. The only thing I think everybody agrees is that shutdown is a good thing” adding, with a smile, that “when Franz Tost was still in the place, he didn't want it!”

The FIA official continued to point out why it is always so difficult for the sport’s regulator to change things quickly, whenever unanimity is required, stating that “everything is quite sensitive because everyone is so competitive and so focused on their relative position compared to others, so it has been quite a challenge.” He then made it clear that from his point of view “our measurement of all Power Units, in my opinion, has proven to be very accurate,” before admitting things can clearly be improved.

The former Ferrari man then asked a rhetorical question - “has everything worked fine?” - before answering it himself: “No, because obviously people are not happy. And do we need to think about improvements in the future? Yes, I would say so,” thus hinting that other parameters of the Power Units will be measured before ADUO decisions will be made in the future. And, I guess, everyone will agree with them, except, possibly, Mercedes.

Still, the veteran engineer doesn’t believe the German manufacturer will keep playing a strategy game with its Power Unit output, stating that “I don't think it would be convenient for you to always be below your potential, just to keep getting more opportunities, because then what's the point of opportunities if it isn't ultimately for you to be on the top?”

Finally, when questioned in what way the FIA is trying to improve the ADUO measurement system, Tombazis first insisted that “I think the system is working as it was designed,” before conceding that “there are some weaknesses that we need to address in the future to make it less time-consuming and less controversial, so we do need to make some steps to move it into the future. Ideally it will encompass the whole Power Unit, rather than just the ICE.”