Jonas Leo
Oliver Bearman, the Haas F1 Team driver, has indicated that Ferrari’s latest ADUO 2 engine upgrade represents a "much smaller step" in performance compared to the advancements achieved through the American team’s updated chassis. This assessment follows the Italian Grand Prix, where the upgrade was deployed on Bearman’s car, delivering marginal gains but failing to significantly alter Haas’s competitive standing.
The engine upgrade, Ferrari’s second and final power unit iteration for the current season under the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) system, was strategically introduced at Monza, a circuit renowned for its high-speed characteristics where engine power is paramount. The ADUO regulations, designed to control development costs and promote stability, permit manufacturers a limited number of performance upgrades over a season. This ADUO 2 package marks the culmination of Ferrari’s in-season power unit development for the 2026 regulations, signifying that no further performance enhancements to the engine components are permitted for the remainder of the campaign.
For Haas, the integration of this new powertrain was a calculated move to potentially close the gap on their midfield rivals. Bearman, making one of his scheduled Formula 1 appearances for the team, was tasked with evaluating the new unit. His qualifying performance saw him secure 12th position, marking his best qualifying result since the Chinese Grand Prix earlier in the season. While this represented a tangible improvement for the young Briton, the race itself underscored the broader challenges faced by the team.
The Italian Grand Prix ultimately extended Haas’s undesirable streak, marking their seventh consecutive point-less round. This run now equals their longest such period since the 2021 season, a year often described as a ‘write-off’ where the team consciously deprioritised current car development to focus resources on the radical new technical regulations introduced for 2022. During that 2021 season, Haas finished last in the Constructors’ Championship with zero points, a stark reminder of the difficulties they are currently navigating.
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In the early stages of the Monza race, Bearman demonstrated promise, briefly holding eighth place. However, as the Grand Prix progressed, his VF-26 chassis, despite the new engine, gradually lost ground to competitors such as the Alpines and Racing Bulls. A strategic decision not to pit under a virtual safety car period further complicated his race, ultimately seeing him cross the finish line in 15th position, outside the points-scoring places.
Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur had previously tempered expectations surrounding the ADUO 2 upgrade, explicitly stating that the new powertrain was not anticipated to be a "game changer." Bearman’s post-qualifying comments echoed this sentiment, providing a candid assessment of its impact.
"It’s a much smaller step than what the [aero] upgrade was, let’s say," the 21-year-old commented, highlighting the relative significance of aerodynamic improvements over engine performance gains. "Of course, there’s a bit more in this track [Monza, due to its power sensitivity], but in terms of a season average, it wouldn’t have been enough to get us out of the fight for Q1, to be honest, if you put that engine on us in Zandvoort. I don’t think it was a game changer."
Bearman further elaborated on the marginal nature of the engine’s contribution, stating, "Of course, more power is always nice, but you’ve read the news about how much it is. It’s definitely beneficial, but the biggest step was the [aero] upgrade, which was more than twice or three times the amount of power we got from the engine — which is testament to the team’s hard work, and I’m really, really proud of them for that." His remarks underscore the prevailing belief within the team that aerodynamic efficiency and chassis development remain the primary avenues for performance enhancement.
Concurrent with the engine upgrade on Bearman’s car, Haas also introduced a significant aerodynamic package for the Italian Grand Prix. This included a revamped floor and revised bodywork, particularly around the sidepods and engine cover, all aimed at improving the car’s overall downforce and efficiency. Esteban Ocon, Bearman’s teammate, benefited from these new aerodynamic components, though he did not receive the ADUO 2 power unit.
Ocon’s performance at Monza, however, highlighted a persistent issue for the team: aerodynamic inconsistency. Despite having the aero upgrades, he qualified seven tenths slower than Bearman in Q2, attributing this disparity to a fundamental imbalance in the VF-26 chassis. Ocon expressed his belief that this aero inconsistency has plagued his car in as many as 10 of the 13 Grands Prix contested so far this year, severely hindering his ability to extract consistent performance.
"No, it wasn’t [any better than in practice], unfortunately," Ocon responded when asked if the car’s inconsistency had improved. "We tried everything we could, taking all the bits in the garage to put it on the car. We did everything that we could, but we didn’t get to the bottom of the issue. Unfortunately, we’re still losing a lot of load compared to Ollie, especially on the rear of the car. It’s not ideal, clearly, but the guys did a mega job by trying that."
Despite the struggles, Ocon maintained a professional outlook on his own driving. "And I was happy with my lap, you know. At the end of the day, I feel like I did a strong lap, I was happy with it. But the deficit of downforce plus the engine losses, it’s quite a lot around here. So that’s the max that we could have done." His comments suggest that while the aero upgrades had potential, the underlying chassis characteristics and the lack of the new engine left him at a significant disadvantage, particularly at a power-sensitive track like Monza.
The Frenchman did, however, find some solace in the effectiveness of the aero upgrades on his teammate’s car, confirming, "They worked on Ollie’s side, yes, they did." This indicates that the new aerodynamic philosophy itself holds promise, but its consistent application and the mitigation of car-to-car variations remain critical challenges for the Haas engineering team.
Haas’s overall season performance reflects these ongoing difficulties. Currently, the team sits near the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship standings, having accrued a minimal points tally. Their struggle to convert promising qualifying positions into race points has been a recurring theme. The gap to the midfield pack, which includes teams like Alpine, Racing Bulls, and the Sauber squad (which will transition to Audi in 2026), remains significant. At Monza, both Haas cars ultimately finished behind the Audis, highlighting the direct competition. The German brand, driven by Nico Hulkenberg and Valtteri Bottas, is presently just five points ahead of Haas in the constructors’ championship, making every race weekend crucial in their battle for minor championship positions.
The 2026 regulations, which will see a complete overhaul of power units and chassis designs, loom large for Ferrari and its customer teams. While the ADUO 2 upgrade is the final power unit performance enhancement before the regulatory shift, Ferrari will continue to focus on reliability and operational efficiency. For Haas, the immediate priority remains understanding and resolving the aerodynamic inconsistencies that are hampering their drivers. The insights gained from Bearman’s evaluation of the new engine and Ocon’s struggles with the aero package will be vital for their development trajectory in the latter half of the season and in preparation for the transformative 2026 era. The team’s ability to unlock consistent performance from its chassis, rather than relying solely on marginal engine gains, appears to be the most critical factor in their quest to escape the lower echelons of the grid.
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- Jonas Leo is a passionate motorsport journalist and lifelong Formula 1 enthusiast. With a sharp eye for race strategy and driver performance, he brings readers closer to the world of Grand Prix racing through in-depth analysis, breaking news, and exclusive paddock insights. Jonas has covered everything from preseason testing to dramatic title deciders, capturing the emotion and precision that define modern F1. When he’s not tracking lap times or pit stop tactics, he enjoys exploring classic racing archives and writing about the evolution of F1 technology.
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