Lewis Hamilton expresses ‘surprise’ at Red Bull F1 engine benchmark verdict
Lewis Hamilton shares his reaction to the FIA's ADUO F1 engine verdict.
Lewis Hamilton says it is “definitely a surprise” that Red Bull has been judged to have the benchmark Formula 1 engine in 2026.
F1’s governing body the FIA has deemed the pecking order of the power unit manufacturers to be Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari, Audi and Honda as part of the first review of the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) system in 2026.
The ranking means that the power unit manufacturer newcomer is not allowed to further develop its engine, while rivals Mercedes and Ferrari are eligible for improvements.
Red Bull has questioned the FIA’s verdict and is currently holding talks with F1’s governing body, who are reviewing their findings.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton, who leaked the data after last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, told media including Crash.net: “It is definitely a surprise, because the Red Bull and Mercedes engines are very, very close.
“Red Bull has done an amazing job with their engine, but so has Mercedes, and I heard there was someone who went from Mercedes to Red Bull.
"They've done something that no one thought they'd do in such a short space of time as a new engine manufacturer, and fair play to them.
"Mercedes still has a good engine, maybe as good, but it is very, very close between them.”
Hamilton secured his second consecutive second place finish in Monaco as he was beaten to a first win as a Ferrari driver by championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
The 41-year-old Briton said it is clear where his Ferrari team is lacking compared to Mercedes.
"I've not really spoken to them on the analysis, but I think it is just pure downforce,” Hamilton said.
"In Miami, we brought an upgrade package which the team went pretty hard to bring, and Mercedes didn't bring an upgrade package, and they won easily.
"Then they brought a big upgrade package of four-tenths, half-a-second whatever it was, to Montreal, and that being a slow speed circuit, I guess you didn't see, necessarily, too much of it.
"But then we got to Monaco, and I could see when [Kimi Antonelli] was ahead of me just how much earlier he could get onto the power, how much more rear-end he had through the corners, and I couldn't keep up, and that's just downforce."
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Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for Crash.net around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
