Audi acknowledged its Formula 1 cars have suffered slow race starts and wider power-unit performance shortfalls, with no short-term fix despite the FIA’s ADUO catch-up framework.
Audi links the issue to the power unit’s turbocharger design, where a relatively large compressor increases inertia and delays boost arrival, forcing greater use of electrical deployment to cover combustion shortfalls.
Mattia Binotto, who added team principal duties to his portfolio last weekend following the departure of Jonathan Wheatley, described the Japan weekend as "a poor start" and said addressing launches is a top priority but not an obvious quick solution.
The FIA’s Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities regime allows limited, staged engine changes based on a performance metric—small concessions for a 2–4% deficit and larger allowances above 4%—but ADUO is quarterly and not designed as an immediate fix, with the first assessment likely by Monaco in early June.
Read the full article at motorsport.com.
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