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Ferrari are set to introduce an upgraded power unit for the Italian GP from September 4-6 as the Scuderia aim to further close the horsepower gap to Mercedes at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. The FIA’s Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO), is a mechanism introduced for the 2026 Formula 1 regulations to help prevent significant performance gaps between power-unit manufacturers from emerging. Rather than restricting the strongest manufacturer, the system gives an underperforming manufacturer extra opportunities to develop its power unit, be that power, reliability or efficiency. The FIA determines eligibility by comparing the performance of each manufacturer’s internal combustion engine. A manufacturer that is at least 2% behind receives one upgrade, and a deficit of 4% or more brings two additional upgrades. Performance is assessed over three periods during the season, with reviews taking place after Races 1-6, 7-12 and 13-18, with Ferrari qualifying at the end of the first period following the Monaco GP. Maranello focused its first upgrade on changes around its steel-alloy cylinder head and combustion system – which allows for higher temperatures from the engine chambers compared to aluminium, which would be too brittle. More from the Dutch GP Catch up with Total Motorsport’s latest Dutch GP coverage, including Lando Norris’ dramatic victory at Zandvoort, the full race classification, Max Verstappen’s Lap 1 crash, and the latest on Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari future. Whilst a new fuel was developed with the combination intended to extract more performance and reduce the horsepower deficit, and appeared to have success at the British GP and Belgian GP. Now armed with a second ADUO opportunity, Ferrari are set to introduce a new internal combustion engine to their home race at the Italian GP as they continue to upgrade their power unit. Ferrari set to introduce power unit upgrade for the Italian GP: What do we know? Ferrari will introduce its second power unit upgrade at the Italian GP, marking one of its most significant engine developments of the 2026 F1 season as the package centres on further revisions to the internal combustion engine. The upgrade focuses on extracting a larger step by the aim of increasing the amount of useful power the team can generate from the engine through further hardware adjustments. A new Shell fuel has also been developed around the updated specification, allowing the fuel and engine changes to work together rather than treating them as separate developments. The upgrade is particularly suited to Monza, where the long straights make combustion engine performance especially important, as the MGU-K (Kinetic) battery that supplies 47% of the power is expected to struggle. Ferrari is also targeting the way the engine delivers its torque by seeking a power curve that works more effectively with the new hybrid power unit split, and helps the car make better use of its available electrical energy over a lap. The expected improvement is around 15 horsepower, which could significantly reduce Ferrari’s remaining power-unit deficit to Mercedes – currently believed to be between 20 and 25 horsepower. Free Practice 1 for the Italian GP will begin at 12:30 local time (CEST) on Friday, September 4 and will later be followed by FP2 on that same day from 16:00 CEST. Saturday will see FP3 from 12:30 and Qualifying from 16:00 as pole position is decided on September 5, before the 53-lap-long Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, September 6 from 15:00.