Red Bull's Mekies places Mercedes ahead of Ferrari, Red Bull and Audi in F1 engine pecking order

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has placed Mercedes in a class of its own among F1 power unit suppliers, with Ferrari, Red Bull Ford and Audi forming a separate group behind — a ranking that carries real financial and regulatory consequences as the FIA approaches its first ADUO eligibility decision after the Canadian Grand Prix.

The Accelerated Development of Underperforming Others (ADUO) mechanism grants additional upgrade opportunities and increased development budgets to manufacturers whose internal combustion engines trail the field leader. Any manufacturer between 2% and 4% behind the best ICE in the field receives one extra upgrade per season for the current and following year, plus a $3.0 million spending allowance increase. A deficit exceeding 4% raises that to two additional upgrades per season and a $4.65 million allowance.

The Canadian Grand Prix marks the end of the FIA’s first ADUO assessment block. The governing body had originally planned four blocks of six race weekends but revised the schedule following the cancellation of the Middle Eastern Grands Prix in April.

When asked how closely he had followed the public commentary surrounding Red Bull’s power unit, Mekies was candid. “The way we look at it, I can only give you what we think is a pecking order. Do whatever you like with it,” he told Motorsport.com. He identified Mercedes as the benchmark — powering eight cars — before placing Red Bull Ford, Ferrari and Audi in the same tier. “We certainly see a consistent gap compared to the Mercedes-Benz-powered cars,” he said, declining to specify exact figures to avoid what he called “gaming” the process.

Mekies was also careful to frame Red Bull Ford Powertrains’ position as an achievement in itself. “The guys at Red Bull Ford Powertrains have done an extraordinary job in getting us onto the grid in a position to fight, starting from what was effectively a field behind Red Bull Racing a few years ago. So that has been nothing short of phenomenal,” he said.

The political dimension of ADUO has been visible across the paddock. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has argued the mechanism should not become a “leapfrog” tool and suggested only Honda genuinely requires relief. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, claimed his team sits behind Red Bull Ford in outright ICE power. The FIA has noted that its ADUO decisions are based entirely on data, and that public positioning by teams plays no part in the process.