Red Bull team principal Mekies wants talks on ADUO rules

Mekies calls the ADUO rules imperfect and welcomes discussions on improving them. According to RacingNews365, he said this in Baku in response to a question about the evolution of the regulations ahead of 2027. In the article published on 24 September, he expresses his expectation that talks with the FIA and engine manufacturers will follow. No agreement to hold such talks is reported.

The competitive tension centres on the benchmark for extra scope for development. According to RacingNews365, Red Bull has been designated as the reference under ADUO, with only the performance of the internal combustion engine taken into account. At the same time, the outlet assesses that Mercedes appears to have the strongest complete package, including the battery. In that account, Red Bull's reference status therefore does not automatically mean that it also has the best complete power unit.

RacingNews365 also reports that Red Bull cannot introduce power unit updates for the time being, but does not specify which changes fall under that restriction. Mekies explicitly links his criticism to a practical task: his team must continue to perform as well as possible within the existing rules.

Binotto: safety net must help those lagging behind

In the same article, Audi team principal Mattia Binotto explains why he believes refinement is needed. According to his explanation, ADUO had two original aims: to prevent a manufacturer from remaining at a clear disadvantage for a prolonged period, and to narrow the performance gaps between manufacturers.

Binotto warns that the current implementation could also give a leading team extra scope for development. He finds that difficult to reconcile with those aims. He is describing a possible effect; in the cited passage, he does not name a team that has actually received such scope.

Binotto therefore does not want to abandon the basic concept, but to refine the details. The article does not set out which changes would be needed or when they should take effect.