Red Bull Powertrains Emerges as 2026 Benchmark in FIA ADUO Rankings

The FIA's latest ADUO assessment has officially positioned Red Bull Powertrains (RBPT) as the performance benchmark for the 2026 season. Sergio Perez, now competing for Cadillac, admitted he was not surprised by the findings, praising the Milton Keynes-based team for the successful execution of its independent power unit project.

Why it matters:

Red Bull's ascent to the top of the engine hierarchy validates their strategic pivot toward becoming a full power unit manufacturer. For the rest of the grid, these rankings provide a rare, objective glimpse into the performance gaps between manufacturers, highlighting exactly how much ground the chasing teams need to make up to challenge for race wins.

The details:

The FIA rankings reveal a significant disparity in internal combustion engine (ICE) performance across the field:

• Red Bull Powertrains: The current benchmark (0% deficit).
• Mercedes: The closest challenger, trailing the benchmark by approximately 2%.
• Ferrari: Sitting roughly 4% behind, leaving them with more room for development under the current regulations.
• Audi: Estimated to be between 4% and 6% adrift.
• Honda: Facing the steepest climb, currently reported to be 6% to 8% behind the RBPT package.

The big picture:

While Perez is now viewing the landscape from the Cadillac garage, his insights reflect a broader paddock consensus. Honda's own track engineering chief, Shintaro Orihara, confirmed that the FIA's findings align with their internal expectations. The data suggests that while the 2026 regulations aimed for parity, a clear hierarchy has already emerged, with RBPT and Mercedes holding a distinct advantage over the newcomers and legacy manufacturers.

What's next:

Cadillac now faces a critical reality check at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. After showing unexpected competitiveness on street circuits like Monaco and Canada, Perez expects Barcelona to provide a more representative picture of the team's true pace. The upcoming weekend will determine if Cadillac's recent form was a fluke of the circuit layout or genuine progress since January's pre-season testing.