Ferrari will introduce a further upgraded power unit for the 2026 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, deploying the second of its two permitted in-season development tokens under the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) system.
With both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc set to run the updated specification, the Scuderia is banking on a package that reportedly includes a revised turbocharger, combustion chamber refinements and an optimized Shell fuel blend to deliver an estimated 15 horsepower gain.
The context for this upgrade lies squarely within the architecture of Formula 1’s 2026 power unit regulations, which introduced ADUO as a catch-up mechanism designed to prevent a single manufacturer from establishing an insurmountable advantage in the early years of a new engine cycle.
Under the rules, the FIA conducts periodic assessments of each manufacturer’s ICE performance index relative to the season’s benchmark, currently held by Red Bull Powertrains, and grants additional homologation opportunities, dyno running time and cost-cap allowances to those found to be in deficit.
Ferrari fell more than four percent behind the benchmark in the first review period earlier in 2026, qualifying for two in-season upgrades in 2026 and two more in 2027, alongside financial and testing concessions intended to accelerate its development trajectory.
The team utilized its first ADUO token at the Austrian Grand Prix in June, introducing an initial power unit revision aimed at improving reliability and extracting incremental gains.
Italy now marks the debut of the second and final in-season ADUO update, a step Vasseur described as part of a continuous performance ramp-up rather than a one-off “Monza special.”
Technically, the Ferrari Monza power unit upgrade, referred to as the 067/7 or ADUO 2 engine specification, features a larger, more efficient turbocharger and a reworked combustion chamber geometry designed to enhance thermal efficiency and power delivery under the 2026 regime’s heightened emphasis on energy recovery and deployment.
Sources close to the team indicate that the turbo revision improves compressor and turbine mapping to reduce lag and increase boost stability, particularly under the repeated full-throttle demands of Monza’s long straights and heavy braking zones, while the combustion changes aim to extract more energy from each ignition cycle without compromising durability.
Coupled with a new Shell fuel formulation optimized for the updated hardware, the package is projected to yield around 15 horsepower at the crank, a figure that translates into meaningful straight-line speed gains and crucially, more flexible energy deployment under the 2026 rules’ multiple “Straight Mode” activation zones.
Monza features four such zones where drivers can deploy maximum electrical power, making every watt and every joule of stored energy count.
In practical terms, independent analyses and team simulations suggest the upgrade could shave approximately 0.2 seconds per lap off Ferrari’s benchmark, a modest gain that could potentially deliver a home win for the Tifosi.
“We are introducing an updated power unit as part of the development opportunities available under ADUO,” said team boss Fred Vasseur. “It represents a step in the right direction and as we know, this year is very much about marginal gains.
“Monza is a demanding circuit and the F1 field is extremely close. Our priority will be to execute every aspect of the weekend as well as possible from Friday onwards. We want to draw extra motivation from the passion of our home crowd and give our tifosi a strong weekend.”
Ferrari is also set to run a special livery in honour of Michael Schumacher, marking 30 years since the seven-time Formula 1 world champion made his debut at Maranello.
Full 2026 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix schedule: Start times and how to watch
