梅赛德斯借助ADUO机制推进引擎升级，法拉利争冠前景受冲击
据Jon Noble报道，梅赛德斯正借助F1的ADUO追赶机制推进一项引擎升级，可能对法拉利日渐黯淡的2026年争冠前景造成致命打击。
梅赛德斯正在酝酿一次可能对竞争对手法拉利日渐渺茫的2026年F1冠军希望构成致命打击的引擎升级，该升级借助ADUO机制，即将投入使用。
尽管围场内普遍公认梅赛德斯拥有最完整的动力单元整体方案，但该车队已根据F1的追赶机制——即“额外开发与升级机会”（ADUO）——获得了今年引入一次开发升级的权利。
这是因为国际汽联对各制造商的分析得出结论：以ADUO所依据的内燃机部分来衡量，红牛领先其他所有厂商超过2%。
这意味着梅赛德斯有权在本赛季进行一次动力单元升级，并在2027年再进行一次；而法拉利、奥迪和本田则可以今年进行两次、明年再进行两次。红牛目前则不被允许进行任何改进。
梅赛德斯在本赛季早些时候曾表示，虽然它会利用通过ADUO获得的额外测试台架时间和研发支出，但它并不计划引入任何硬件改动。
然而，The 比赛获悉，计划现在已有改变，梅赛德斯的Brixworth发动机工厂正在进行各项工作，以在本赛季结束前推出一个ADUO升级版本。
升级版发动机的引入时间尚未最终确定，但预计很可能在即将到来的阿塞拜疆、马来西亚和新加坡三连赛期间的某个时点。
这一时机可能与乔治·拉塞尔（拉塞尔）因启用全新动力单元部件而不得不接受发车退后处罚的时间相吻合，因为他现有的发动机储备无法撑到赛季结束。
梅赛德斯ADUO升级将在哪个区域进行尚未得到确认，但意大利大奖赛上基米·安东内利（安东内利）引入了哪些新部件、没有引入哪些新部件，可能提供了一个重要线索。
这位车手积分榜领跑者在进入他的主场之战前就知道，由于更换发动机的处罚，他将从发车区的最后一位起步。
然而，梅赛德斯没有选择安装一套全新的动力单元，而是将更换限制在安东内利的内燃机、电池和控制电子设备上。
车队没有安装新的涡轮增压器、MGU-K、排气系统和附属部件，尽管更换这些新部件本来不会带来任何额外后果。
推迟引入全套组件，这表明梅赛德斯计划在本赛季晚些时候引入这些部件——到那时，任何这些部件在安装时都还有升级的机会。
人们普遍认为，梅赛德斯通过改进其内燃机（ICE）几乎没有什么收益，而且这样做有可能使其领先于红牛，从而给对手创造使用研发配额的机会。
改进很可能集中在其他领域，其中涡轮增压器是最明显的、可以带来可观收益的部分。
由于梅赛德斯在意大利站采取的策略（即没有更换某些部件），首次引入全新涡轮增压器将不会受到处罚。
因此，当任何ADUO步骤到来时，这可能意味着Russell和Antonelli同时获得它。
根据F1的规则，如果制造商引入一项规格升级，那么该升级必须提供给它旗下的客户车队。
在该升级首次亮相的分站赛上，厂队必须向每支客户车队提供至少一个版本的改动。
因此，当新部件到来时，阿尔派、梅赛德斯和威廉姆斯都将享有所取得的任何进步，即使他们必须选择如何最好地在各自车手之间错开引入时间。
这也可能影响到前沿的争夺战，迈凯伦近期的进步帮助它赢得了比赛，而它可能获得的任何收益都将使其对法拉利拥有进一步的优势。
梅赛德斯ADUO升级的到来，很可能与一次重大赛车升级的时间相近，这次升级预计将在下月初于马来西亚举行的巴林大奖赛上推出。
由于车队今年在研发投入上采取了保守策略，它选择将重大新部件的推出时间间隔拉开。
车队上次推出重大升级套件是在5月底的蒙特利尔，目前正在为雪邦开发可能是一次大规模改革的方案。
汉密尔顿表示梅赛德斯的优势“令人难以置信”
梅赛德斯计划带来一次ADUO升级，这对法拉利来说是个坏消息，后者已在意大利大奖赛上引入了其两次允许升级中的第二次。
据了解，法拉利为提升引擎动力所做的改动与涡轮有关——将设计放大，并对概念进行了其他一些修改，以帮助挖掘其潜力。
法拉利此前淡化了其ADUO 2升级的重要性，哈斯车队的Ollie Bearman也使用了这套升级参赛。
然而，从法拉利与梅赛德斯在蒙扎直道上的相对表现可以清楚地看出，双方之间仍存在很大的差距。
法拉利车队领队弗雷德·瓦塞尔（Fred Vasseur）表示，车队没有足够的能量来进行真正的对抗，因为对手们采用了不同的能量释放策略。
他说：“[有些车]在一条直道上快10公里/小时，在另一条直道上又慢10公里/小时。问题在于我们几乎在所有地方都慢了10公里/小时。
“当我们在一个弯角多投入一些能量时，接下来一条直道上的差距反而更大。这几乎无法管理。”
刘易斯·汉密尔顿表示，他自己的法拉利与梅赛德斯之间的差距让他感到震惊。
"我们知道他们在直道上很快，但他们在直道上究竟有多快真是令人难以置信，"他说。"梅赛德斯的动力，那玩意儿就是不断地拉、拉、拉。"
尽管瓦塞尔指出了能量部署不足是比赛中的一大限制因素，但他表示，法拉利整体表现不佳并没有明显的根本原因。
"当你缺乏纯粹的动力时，你就得通过调整部署来试图在一条直道上进行补偿，"他说。
“如果你在某处部署得更多，那肯定就会在别处部署得更少。然后在战斗中你就是在陷入一个错误的螺旋，试图去玩弄这个。”
“说实话，这不是关于部署的问题。我认为部署是好的。就连迈凯伦，他们也在周五和周六早上做了一点尝试。归根结底，我们缺少的是纯粹的动力。”
尽管蒙扎的升级是法拉利本赛季进行的第二步改进，此前6月在奥地利引入了修改，但瓦塞尔认为，引擎更改所需的长周期意味着与梅赛德斯抗衡将是一个长期项目。
“我们并没有指望靠ADUO 1或ADUO 2就实现追赶，”他说。“我们正在小步前进，但必须记住的是……哪怕只提升几匹马力，对发车位置来说也是很好的一步。”
英文原文
Mercedes is working on what could be a killer blow to rival Ferrari's fading 2026 Formula 1 title chances with an ADUO-assisted engine upgrade set for introduction.
Despite it being accepted in the paddock that Mercedes has the best complete power unit package, it has earned the right to bring a development step this year under F1's catch-up mechanism known as Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO).
That is because the FIA's analysis of the different manufacturers has concluded that, based on the internal combustion engine element that ADUO is judged on, Red Bull is more than 2% ahead of everybody else.
It means Mercedes has the right to bring one power unit upgrade this season and one in 2027, while Ferrari, Audi and Honda can bring two this year and two next. Red Bull is not allowed any improvements yet.
Mercedes had declared earlier this season that, while it would be making use of the extra test bench hours and development spending that has been opened to it through ADUO, it did not plan to introduce any hardware changes.
However, The Race has learned that there has now been a change of plan and that efforts are ongoing at Mercedes' Brixworth engine facility to ready an ADUO step before the end of the campaign.
No date has yet been set in stone for the introduction of the upgraded specification, but it is anticipated that it will likely be at some point during the upcoming triple header that comprises Azerbaijan, Malaysia and Singapore.
The timing of this could coincide with when George Russell has to take a grid drop penalty for fresh power unit components, with him unable to get through to the end of the season on his current pool.
It has not been confirmed in what area the Mercedes ADUO modifications will be made, but a big clue may have come at the Italian Grand Prix through the new parts Kimi Antonelli did and did not introduce there.
The world championship leader had headed into his home race knowing that he would be starting from the back of the grid because of an engine change penalty.
However, Mercedes chose not to fit a totally new power unit and instead restricted the changes to Antonelli's internal combustion engine, battery and control electronics.
It did not fit a fresh turbo, MGU-K, exhaust and ancillaries, even though taking new versions of these would have been without consequence.
Holding fire on introducing the full suite of components suggests Mercedes plans to bring those parts later this season – with the door then open for any of these to be upgraded when they are fitted.
It is widely understood that Mercedes has little to gain through improving its ICE, and that doing so risks pulling it ahead of Red Bull and handing its rival an opportunity for ADUO.
Modifications are likely to be focused in other areas, with the turbo the most obvious area where good gains can be found.
Due to Mercedes' tactics in Italy, in terms of what it did not replace, bringing the first fresh turbo will be without penalty.
So, when any ADUO step comes then that could mean both Russell and Antonelli getting their hands on it at the same time.
Under F1's rules, if a manufacturer introduces an upgrade of specification, then this has to be made available to its customer teams.
At the first race where it comes, the works squad must make at least one version of the change available to each of its customer teams.
So, when the new part comes, Alpine, Mercedes and Williams will all enjoy any progress that has been made, even if they have to choose how best to stagger any introduction between their drivers.
This could have an impact on the fight at the front too, with McLaren's recent progress having helped it win races and any gain it has potentially giving it a further edge over Ferrari.
The arrival of the Mercedes ADUO upgrade will likely come around the time of a major car upgrade that looks set to arrive at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia at the start of next month.
With the team having been conservative with its development spending this year, it has elected to space out its introduction of major new parts.
It last introduced a major package in Montreal in late May, but is working on what could be a big overhaul for Sepang.
Hamilton says Mercedes advantage 'mind blowing'
Mercedes' plan to bring an ADUO upgrade will be bad news for Ferrari, which introduced the second of its two allowed upgrades at the Italian Grand Prix.
It is understood that the changes it made to try to improve engine power were related to the turbo – making the design bigger with some other modification to the concept aimed at helping its potential.
Ferrari had downplayed the significance of its ADUO 2 step, which was also raced by Haas's Ollie Bearman.
However, it was clear from the relative performance of Ferrari against Mercedes on Monza's straights that there remains a big differential in play.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said that his team did not have the energy available to fight properly, as rivals battled with different deployment strategies.
"[Some] were 10km/h faster on one straight and 10km/h slower on another," he said. "The issue was that we were almost 10km/h slower everywhere.
"When we were putting a bit more energy in one corner, the gap was even bigger in the next straight line. It was quite impossible to manage."
Lewis Hamilton said he was taken aback by the differences between his own Ferrari and the Mercedes.
"We knew that they were fast on the straight, but it was really mind-blowing just how quick they were on the straight," he said. "Mercedes power, that thing just keeps pulling, pulling, pulling."
Despite Vasseur singling out the deployment deficit as a limiting factor in the race, he said there was no obvious root cause for the overall poor Ferrari performance.
"When you have a lack of pure power, then you start to play with deployment to try to compensate in one straight line," he said.
"If you deploy more somewhere, for sure you will deploy less somewhere else. And then you are going in the wrong spiral to try to play with this when you are fighting.
"Honestly, it's not about deployment. I think deployment was good. Even McLaren, they were playing a little bit Friday and Saturday morning. At the end, we are missing pure power."
Despite the Monza upgrade being the second step that Ferrari has made this season, following the revisions introduced in Austria in June, Vasseur thinks the long lead times for engine changes means getting on terms with Mercedes will be a long-term project.
"We were not expecting to recover [with] ADUO 1 or ADUO 2," he said. "We are doing small steps, but what you have to keep in mind is that…even if you make a couple of horsepower, it's a good step on the grid.
The Race ·
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