Max Verstappen’s boss Laurent Mekies: “Turning down the noise”

By the end of August, it is clear to the rule-makers at the World Motor Sport Federation: Red Bull-Ford has the most powerful internal combustion engine. For this reason, Red Bull-Ford’s rivals – Ferrari, Mercedes, Honda and Audi – are permitted to develop their internal combustion engines, whilst Red Bull-Ford is not; all of this falls under the so-called ADUO.

ADUO stands for ‘Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities’. ADUO is designed to ensure that engine manufacturers who are lagging behind are given a chance to catch up during the season. Manufacturers are granted development leeway if they are at least two per cent behind in terms of internal combustion engine performance.

Red Bull Racing team principal Laurent Mekies has quite rightly criticised the fact that ADUO only addresses the performance of the internal combustion engine (approx. 530 PS). The contribution of the electric system is ignored. It is widely accepted within the industry that Mercedes has the most powerful overall package.

Following Max Verstappen’s triumph at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, one thing is certain: the Red Bull Powertrains-Ford power unit is a winning engine. However, that does not mean that RBR team principal Laurent Mekies has changed his view on ADUO.

The 49-year-old Frenchman says: “Well, we were certainly taken aback by the FIA’s initial assessments. We subsequently set out our position. We showed them why we believe their assessment does not paint an accurate picture. We’re in discussions with them about what can be improved in the methods for next year.”

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“That’s where we stand at the moment. But at a certain point – as we like to say here at Red Bull Racing – you need to cut out the distractions and concentrate entirely on pure racing. You focus on working with what you’ve got.”

“Ultimately, we’d rather have a strong internal combustion engine and no ADUO than have a weak engine and rely on the ADUO.”

“Whilst ADUO attempts to estimate the performance of the internal combustion engine, there are a huge number of other performance factors that can be developed and improved. Especially in our first year as a power unit manufacturer. Our lads have done a great job of getting the car and the power unit into the best possible operating window.”

“Of course we were disappointed at the start of the season because we weren’t competitive. But what really pleases me is the way we’ve been able to improve so much. The whole team deserves a great deal of credit for making up those last three tenths to the top, because those are always the hardest to find.”