Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has urged the FIA to ensure rules allowing power unit manufacturers to develop their engines during the 2026 season don’t interfere with Formula 1’s pecking order.
Included in the new power unit regulations for the 2026 season was a performance-balancing measure that will allow those trailing the leading manufacturer by a certain margin to develop their models.
The regulations set out three periods of Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO) during the season, with those judged to be at least two per cent behind the manufacturer with the best-performing internal combustion engine awarded development opportunities.
The FIA, the sport's governing body, is expected to provide more clarity on the way the rules will be implemented ahead of the season's next round, the Miami Grand Prix, which Mercedes will go into with a clear advantage at the top of the standings having won each of the first three races.
Speaking earlier this week, Wolff said: "The principle of the ADUO was to allow teams that were on the back foot in terms of the power unit to catch up, but not to leapfrog.
"It needs to be very clear that whatever decisions are being made, whichever team is granted ADUO, that any such decision may have a big impact on the performance picture and on the championship, if not done with absolute precision and clarity and transparency.
"It needs to be clear that gamesmanship hasn't got any place here, but it needs to be with the right spirit here that the FIA acts upon an ADUO."
With Wolff's Mercedes team having dominated the opening stages of the season, their self-manufactured engine appears highly likely to be the benchmark that other teams may be given the opportunity to catch up with.
However, the Austrian appeared to imply that he thinks Honda, who supply only Aston Martin, are the only power unit manufacturer in need of "help".
Wolff continued: "The teams will have their performance pictures and, as it seems for me, there's one engine manufacturer that has a problem and we need to help. And then all the others are pretty much in the same ballpark.
"So, I would be very surprised, actually, and disappointed if ADUO decisions that were done would come up with any interferences into the competitive pecking order as it stands at the moment."
As well as being a 'works' team who produce their own engines, Mercedes supply three customer teams - McLaren, Alpine and Williams - with power units. Ferrari are also a works team, and supply Haas and Cadillac. Red Bull have built their own engine for the first time and supply junior squad Racing Bulls, while Audi are a works team without any customers.
Mercedes' closest challengers across the opening rounds have been Ferrari, whose team boss Fred Vasseur has spoken about ADUO being an opportunity for the Italian squad to "close the gap" to the Silver Arrows.
Asked whether he is worried that Ferrari being granted ADUO could leave Mercedes chasing them later in the season, Wolff replied: "I wouldn't call it worried. I think we are all monitoring how decisions are being made.
"And we have precise data from our own analytics of where we see engine performance of our competitors and ourselves.
"In that respect, I think the FIA is looking at the same data and the FIA certainly, I would very much hope that they continue to see themselves as protecting the integrity of the sport.
"Because you don't want to allow an ADUO to a team that suddenly leapfrogs someone. The ADUO was always meant as a catch-up mechanism and not as a leapfrog mechanism."
Formula 1 returns on May 1-3 with the Miami Grand Prix, the season's second Sprint weekend, live on Your Site F1.
