Ferrari makes crucial upgraded F1 engine decision for Italian GP

Ferrari has reportedly decided it will run its upgraded Formula 1 engine at its home Italian Grand Prix. 

It had been expected that Ferrari would introduce the second of its two permitted power unit upgrades through F1’s Additional Upgrades and Development Opportunities (ADUO) system at Monza. 

According to Italian media and Motorsport.com, Ferrari has made the final decision to use its upgraded power unit at next weekend’s race. 

Ferrari was granted two upgrade tokens after being deemed to be over 4% behind F1 2026 engine benchmark Red Bull during the first ADUO ranking verdict earlier this year. 

The Italian outfit immediately began work on updating its engine and introduced its first upgrade at the Austrian Grand Prix in June. 

The ADUO 2 engine, which is understood to include an upgraded and larger turbocharger, is ready to make its on-track debut at Monza following reliability checks this week. 

It is estimated to provide Ferrari with an increase of 15 horsepower. It is hoped this improvement can at least halve the Maranello outfit’s deficit to Mercedes on the straights. 

An additional performance boost is expected to come from a new fuel that has been developed by Shell. 

Ferrari is also set to bring further aerodynamic upgrades to Monza, including a new version of its so-called Macarena rear wing. 

The team is set to run its SF-26 cars in a special livery paying tribute to Michael Schumacher’s career. Ferrari has already revealed one-off race suits that will be worn by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. 

Ferrari’s hopes of winning its home F1 race have been boosted by the confirmation that Andrea Kimi Antonelli will start at the back of the grid, with Mercedes electing to fit his W17 with a new power unit. 

Team-mate George Russell will also have to serve a grid penalty for an engine change at some point before the end of the campaign, though Mercedes is yet to decide where. 

Ferrari heads to Monza second in the constructors' championship and 87 points behind Mercedes, while Hamilton sits third and 59 points behind Antonelli in the drivers' standings. 

When asked about his expectations for Monza, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur jokingly replied: “We do the best. 

"So far this season, sometimes we are not we were not expecting to get good results and we had them, and sometimes we are expecting to get better results and we struggled a bit more.

“I think there is much more into the execution than into the pure potential. It means that I think the best lesson of the weekend [in Zandvoort] is that if you want to win, if you want to be in front, you have to do the perfect job.”