THE FIGURES THAT SHOW HOW LUDICROUS RED BULL BENCHMARK STATUS IS

The FIA's Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) assessment surprisingly declares Red Bull Powertrains' internal combustion engine (ICE) as the best. This grants Mercedes one 2026 upgrade opportunity, with Ferrari, Audi, and Honda receiving two. Yet, current average qualifying data paints a different picture: Mercedes leads at 100.028% of average pole time, Ferrari sits at 100.525%, and Red Bull trails the top teams at 100.820%. This indicates Red Bull's current edge stems from chassis and overall power unit integration, not outright ICE power.

The FIA's metrics suggest Mercedes’ ICE is roughly 2% (or ~10bhp) behind Red Bull, and Ferrari’s 4% (~20bhp) down. If engine power were equalized, Mercedes could find an extra 0.25s per lap, with Ferrari gaining 0.5s to leapfrog McLaren. This highlights massive potential shifts once upgrades deploy. The real question is if teams like Mercedes and Ferrari ran engines conservatively to secure these ADUO breaks. Expect performance upticks from Mercedes and Ferrari-powered cars in upcoming races, even before official upgrades.