F1 teams warned of “dangerous path” as sandbagging could game ADUO upgrades

Former F1 driver and World Endurance champion Anthony Davidson warns the FIA’s Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) rule could push teams onto a “dangerous path”. By sand‑bagging – deliberately holding back pace – rivals could earn extra power‑unit upgrades, turning F1’s engineering contest into a balance‑of‑performance game.

Why it matters:

• The cost cap is meant to level budgets, not to become a BoP tool that hands upgrades to teams that hide true pace.
• Mercedes’ dominance makes the ADUO thresholds a tempting loophole for challengers, risking an engineering‑first sport.
• If teams manipulate performance, fans may lose trust in the sport’s merit‑based competition.

The details:

• ADUO grants extra upgrades when a new power‑unit is within 2 % of Mercedes (one upgrade) or 4 % (two upgrades) for 2026‑27.
• The rule was meant for genuinely lagging manufacturers, not for strategic sand‑bagging.
• ADUO is calculated after each race; Miami will be its first test.

What's next:

• The FIA may tighten qualifying data monitoring and add a “no‑sandbagging” clause.
• Teams will weigh short‑term gains against long‑term reputational risk as the 2025 season unfolds.
• A formal review of the ADUO system is slated for the 2025‑2026 rule‑making window.