BONUS: Our reaction to F1’s new engine catchup programme
About this episode
The hosts react to F1’s FIA ADUO engine catch-up programme, arguing it’s not balance of performance and that the testing focus on the V6/ICE (with a 55% split) misses hybrid-related performance. They question whether the rules can be gamed by targeting what isn’t measured, and they compare the concept to a budget cap and an NFL-style draft. While they cite Mercedes as the benchmark power unit, they say Red Bull’s fastest-engine result highlights how “period two” may change things.
As part of F1’s plan to level the playing field, the first stage of their Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities has arrived - essentially some decisions about which teams are allowed to bring additional upgrades. We’re here to explain these decisions, which are…. farcical.
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FIA
"So essentially, how we understand this is that, well, the FIA, let's start from the beginning. The FIA have this ADUO thing, which is basically gone."
FIA is the organization that makes the rules for Formula 1. They also check that teams follow the technical rules and can set up programs that let teams develop their cars in specific ways.
FIA stands for Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, the governing body that writes and enforces the rules for Formula 1 and other motorsport categories. In F1, the FIA also oversees technical regulations and approves/monitors development programs that affect how teams build their cars.
ADUO
"The FIA have this ADUO thing, which is basically gone. You know the exact gone right now. It's the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities."
ADUO is an FIA program that lets teams who started off behind get extra opportunities to improve. It’s meant to prevent a big performance gap from forming and widening over time.
ADUO stands for Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities, an FIA catch-up style program. The idea is to give manufacturers/power-unit developers extra chances to improve after struggling early in a new regulation cycle, so the field doesn’t split into a huge performance gap.
catch-up program
"So essentially, it is a catch-up program. It's not a balance of performance. It's to try and help the manufacturers, the power unit developers that have struggled at the beginning of this regulation set"
A catch-up program is basically a rules-based way to help the teams that are falling behind. Instead of letting the gap grow, it gives them a better chance to improve later.
A catch-up program is a regulatory mechanism designed to help teams or manufacturers that are behind early in a rule change. In this context, it’s meant to support power unit developers who struggled at the start of the current F1 regulation set, reducing the risk of a long-term performance “chasm.”
balance of performance
"So essentially, it is a catch-up program. It's not a balance of performance. It's to try and help the manufacturers, the power unit developers"
Balance of performance is when race organizers tweak rules so cars end up closer in speed. Here, they’re saying this isn’t that kind of “equalizing,” but more about letting teams develop to catch up.
Balance of performance (BoP) is a motorsport approach where organizers adjust performance limits so different cars are closer in speed. The host is contrasting ADUO with BoP, implying this FIA program is not about directly equalizing performance via restrictions, but about enabling development for struggling power-unit programs.
Red Bull Powertrains
"So Red Bull Powertrains have been deemed the best ICE, right? So let's just clear this up right now."
Red Bull Powertrains is Red Bull’s side of the business that develops the F1 engine system. In this segment, they’re talking about how it’s performing compared with other teams’ power units.
Red Bull Powertrains is the power-unit development organization associated with Red Bull’s F1 program. The transcript claims it has been deemed the best ICE, tying the brand to the hybrid power-unit performance discussion and the FIA’s measurement/upgrade context.
V6
"Just the V6 because maybe they thought it was easier to judge it. Or I don't know what the reasons are."
A V6 is an engine with six cylinders arranged in a V shape. It’s a way of describing the engine’s layout, and in racing it matters because different engine setups can behave differently.
A V6 is an internal-combustion engine with six cylinders arranged in a “V” shape. In F1 discussions, specifying a V6 usually means the engine configuration being tested or compared under the sport’s rules.
ICE
"It's not the thing that they've been doing for a very long time, which is just the normal internal combustion engine to a lot of degree. Yeah, definitely because an ICE, you know, back in the good old days..."
ICE means internal combustion engine—an engine that makes power by burning fuel. In modern F1, it’s not the whole story because the car also has hybrid systems that affect performance.
ICE stands for internal combustion engine, meaning the power unit that makes power by burning fuel. In F1’s hybrid era, the ICE is only part of the “power unit” system, so focusing on ICE testing can miss performance differences coming from the rest of the hybrid components.
power units
"But let's be honest, when they start building these really complex power units and things, that's when the field spread gets so massive..."
In F1, a “power unit” is the whole energy system that powers the car. It includes the engine plus hybrid parts, so it’s more than just the fuel-burning engine.
In F1, “power unit” refers to the complete engine-and-hybrid system that produces the car’s energy, not just the ICE. That’s why the hosts argue that measuring only the ICE can fail to capture the biggest sources of performance variation between teams.
Honda
"Well, that was a bracket that was literally made for Aston Martin and Honda, because they knew that they were going to be so behind"
Honda is mentioned here as the engine side of the sport. The hosts are saying the rules’ extra-money bracket was set up with Honda in mind.
Honda is referenced as an F1 power unit/constructor partner in the context of the engine catch-up funding brackets. The hosts claim a bracket was effectively designed for Aston Martin and Honda due to expected performance gaps.
Mercedes
"everyone knows in Formula One and everyone in the paddock and everyone that works in Formula One knows that Mercedes have the best power unit. ... But Mercedes, as you say, have won every single race so far."
Mercedes is one of the big F1 teams. Here, the hosts are saying Mercedes has been strongest because their engine-and-hybrid system is performing best.
Mercedes is an F1 constructor/team brand known for its historically strong power unit and overall race performance. In this segment, the hosts attribute early-season dominance to Mercedes having the best "power unit."
overweight
"there's all this talk that they're overweight, which I think is true."
In F1, "overweight" means the car is heavier than the rules allow. Being too heavy can make the car slower and harder on the tires.
In F1, "overweight" means the car is above the allowed minimum weight (including any required ballast). Extra mass makes acceleration, braking, and tire wear worse, and it can force teams to rebalance the car’s setup to compensate.
chassis
"And it's the chassis side of things that are letting Red Bull down at the moment."
The "chassis" is the car’s main structure and how it’s set up to handle. If the chassis is the problem, it means the car isn’t driving as smoothly or gripping as well as it should.
In racing, the "chassis" refers to the car’s structural platform and its suspension/handling package—everything that determines how the car grips, balances, and responds to steering and braking. When someone says the chassis is letting a team down, they mean the handling/traction behavior isn’t matching the engine’s potential.
final sector
"They've been an absolute rocket ship, particularly, you know, look at China and how they just go through the kind of final sector and things like that"
Racetracks are divided into sections called sectors. The "final sector" is the last part of the lap, and it helps explain where the car is fast or struggling right before the finish line.
A track is often split into sectors for analysis; the "final sector" is the last third of the lap. Teams and commentators use sector times to diagnose where a car is gaining or losing—like traction out of corners or stability into the final braking zone.
budget cap
"And I get why they've done this because they're kind of doing [441.7s] it's a bit like the budget cap where they're trying their best to almost [446.6s] have like an NFL style draft where in the theory, the teams get closer"
A budget cap is a spending limit for F1 teams. It’s meant to stop the richest teams from buying their way to faster cars, so more teams can compete.
In Formula 1, a budget cap is a rule that limits how much money teams can spend over a season. The goal is to reduce spending advantages so teams are closer in performance and the competition is less predictable.
NFL style draft
"have like an NFL style draft where in the theory, the teams get closer [451.9s] together and they're trying their absolute best. [454.0s] So it's not just like the same teams winning all the time."
They’re comparing it to a sports draft where weaker teams get a better starting position. The idea in F1 is similar: give teams that are behind a better chance to catch up.
This is a comparison to the American sports “draft” system, where weaker teams get earlier picks to improve their chances. In F1’s context, the host is describing a catch-up mechanism intended to help slower teams close the gap by reallocating development opportunities.
upgrade
"Mercedes have even more money to spend. [468.2s] Yes, they're allowed to bring an upgrade. [470.6s] Rebel aren't and the thing is as well, they don't have to focus just"
An upgrade is a change to the car meant to make it faster or more competitive. The host is saying some teams are allowed to add improvements while others aren’t.
In F1, an upgrade is a development change—like new hardware or revised components—added to the car to improve performance. The host is contrasting which teams are allowed to bring upgrades under the new catch-up framework.
V6 engine
"because this test is on the V6 engine. [476.7s] It doesn't mean they have to focus just [478.6s] on the V6 engine."
A V6 engine is a type of engine with six cylinders arranged in a V shape. In racing, the exact engine setup matters a lot because rules control what teams can develop.
A V6 engine is an internal-combustion engine with six cylinders arranged in a “V” shape. In modern F1, the engine rules are tightly specified, so calling out the V6 highlights which power-unit component the test is focused on.
battery side of things
"They can upgrade their battery side of things, which I imagine is probably [482.4s] where they want to focus on anyway because of it being brand new as a full [487.3s] system in 2026."
That phrase means the hybrid parts that store electricity in the car. In F1, teams can sometimes improve those parts to gain performance and efficiency.
“Battery side of things” refers to the hybrid energy system components that store electrical energy for use in acceleration and efficiency. In F1, teams can often target development on the energy-storage and related control hardware as part of the power-unit.
Ferrari
"And the thing I find the most insane out of all of this is the privacy. [502.8s] Because the entire season so far, let's take Ferrari, for example. [508.8s] Hamilton has said almost every Grand Prix year we're behind on power."
Ferrari is a famous F1 team. The host brings it up as an example of teams that have felt their engine wasn’t strong enough.
Ferrari is the Formula 1 team/brand used as an example for the host’s point about being behind on power. The host is referencing how drivers have publicly complained that the car’s engine/power-unit performance hasn’t been competitive.
Aston Martin
"like it's a results based business, [570.8s] we can see the results, we can see Aston Martin are struggling. [574.9s] We can and see all this track dominance graphics."
Aston Martin is used as an example of a team that isn’t doing well right now in F1. The hosts are saying you can tell from race results and how fast the cars are on track.
Aston Martin is mentioned as an example of a team struggling in the current F1 performance picture. The hosts tie it to observable results, implying the team’s overall package—including power-unit effectiveness—has not been competitive.
track dominance graphics
"We can and see all this track dominance graphics. [577.5s] We can see where you're slow and it's on the straights. [580.0s] And what I find absolutely bizarre as well after Monaco"
This is basically charts that show where one car is beating another on the track. Here they’re saying the gap shows up on the straight parts, which points back to power and acceleration.
“Track dominance graphics” refers to data visualizations that show where a car is strongest on a circuit—often by speed, sector performance, or time gaps. In this context, it’s used to argue that the performance deficit shows up on straights.
Monaco
"And what I find absolutely bizarre as well after Monaco is this narrative of [586.8s] can Hamilton or can Hamilton catch Kimmy Antonelli in the world championship?"
Monaco is one of the most famous F1 races. It’s a special track where small differences between cars can stand out a lot.
Monaco is referenced as the race after which a “narrative” is being discussed. In F1 coverage, Monaco is a key event because its tight, twisty layout can amplify differences in traction, braking, and overall car balance.
Constructors Championship
"How is that more embarrassing and bad look on the manufacturers than say Audi's position in the Constructors Championship?"
The Constructors Championship is the team version of the championship. Teams earn points based on how their cars do, and the best overall team wins.
The Constructors Championship is the season-long points battle between Formula 1 teams, based on how their cars perform in races. It’s separate from the Drivers Championship, which is based on individual driver points.
period two
"And yeah, how it changes for the next, like period two, as you say, and what, [732.1s] what happens then? [733.1s] Because if Mercedes get another one, they still won every race by then, I think [738.1s] they're probably going to have to have a look at it, surely, because surely that, [743.2s] that is a loophole there, that you could just dump all your upgrades and money [747.6s] and opportunity into the side of it that isn't being checked by this. [754.2s] And because 45% of your power unit, you just focus on that. [760.6s] And then you go, ah, the ICU is not great. [763.3s] Thank you very much. [764.3s] Let's have some more money and upgrade time. [766.4s] Yeah, because even though the whole testing method is completely secret, [771.4s] the FIA are, you know, they're little detectives. [773.4s] They are, they're not being played. [775.7s] Oh wait, here's the results. [776.9s] Red Bull are the fastest engine. [778.3s] I think that the F1 teams have a good idea, maybe apart from Red Bull, [782.1s] as to how they're testing, because yeah, that's surprising results to say the least. [787.8s] And it'll be very interesting to see what period two brings, [790.6s] which will be in another six races, I believe, or five races, six races."
“Period two” is the next stage of the engine rule programme after the first stage. The hosts are wondering how the testing and rules change in the later phase and how teams will react.
“Period two” refers to a later phase of the F1 engine catch-up/testing programme, with additional races used to evaluate progress. The segment focuses on how the rules and scrutiny might change between periods and what that means for teams’ upgrade strategies.
ICU
"And because 45% of your power unit, you just focus on that. [760.6s] And then you go, ah, the ICU is not great. [763.3s] Thank you very much."
ICU is the car’s control electronics for the engine system. It helps manage how the engine and hybrid parts work together, and the discussion is about exploiting what gets checked under the rules.
ICU here refers to the F1 engine’s Integrated Control Unit—part of the power unit’s electronics that manages engine operation and hybrid energy flows. The point being discussed is that if only part of the power unit is scrutinized, teams could focus upgrades on the un-checked sections.
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