Ferrari gets the answer it wanted from ADUO 2 as Russell faces Monza challenge – Pierre Gasly’s surprise pole position has added an unexpected twist to the Italian Grand Prix, but Ferrari’s performance at Monza may be the more significant story heading into Sunday’s race.
The new ADUO 2 engine delivered the gains expected by Ferrari, while George Russell remains the benchmark after Mercedes dominated much of the weekend. With Oscar Piastri’s penalty promoting both Ferraris onto the second row, Russell could face a two-car challenge from Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at the start.
Ferrari’s ADUO 2 delivers the expected gains
Gasly’s pole position was undoubtedly Saturday’s biggest surprise, with the Alpine driver producing a perfect lap to beat the established front-runners. However, the performance data emerging from Monza suggests the usual contenders remain firmly in contention over race distance.
For Ferrari, the most encouraging development has been the initial verdict on the ADUO 2 power unit introduced specifically for the Italian Grand Prix.
The updated engine was expected to provide around 10 horsepower in additional performance, with software optimisation contributing approximately another five horsepower. At a circuit where straight-line speed and power deployment are critical, those gains were particularly important for Ferrari.
The objective was never to introduce an engine capable of completely changing the competitive order. Instead, Ferrari wanted to address some of the power deficit it had experienced against Mercedes.
So far, the feedback from Monza suggests that Ferrari has achieved exactly that.
The SF-26 has looked competitive since Friday despite Monza’s low-downforce layout traditionally exposing weaknesses in efficiency and straight-line performance. The ADUO 2 has therefore provided Ferrari with a useful step in one of the areas that matters most at the Italian circuit.
Ferrari sacrifices straight-line speed for Sunday
Ferrari also made a deliberate aerodynamic compromise for the race.
The SF-26 retained the same rear-wing specification used at Zandvoort, including the hanger flaps. Ferrari had considered removing them to reduce drag further, but ultimately decided against chasing maximum straight-line speed.
Instead, the team prioritised rear stability and a greater degree of downforce.
That decision is particularly relevant at Monza because the rear axle can become a limiting factor over a race stint. Ferrari wants Leclerc and Hamilton to have a more predictable rear end, particularly through the Lesmo corners and Ascari, where excessive sliding can quickly compromise tyre performance.
Ferrari has also attempted to recover some of the additional drag elsewhere. The floor configuration, an evolution of the package introduced at Zandvoort, was designed to help reduce drag without requiring the rear wing to be unloaded excessively.
It is therefore a compromise built primarily around Sunday’s race rather than Saturday’s qualifying lap.
Russell remains the driver to beat
Despite Ferrari’s encouraging performance, Russell remains the benchmark.
Mercedes has demonstrated strong pace throughout the weekend, but qualifying was not entirely straightforward for the Briton. Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin explained that Russell experienced repeated front locking under braking during qualifying, something that had not been evident in FP3.
The team made adjustments to try to resolve the issue, but could not eliminate it completely. The problem was particularly costly in Monza’s heavy braking zones.
Russell also had to work around the slipstream strategy involving Kimi Antonelli, who will start from the back of the grid following his power unit penalty. The Italian provided Russell with the tow as planned, but Russell encountered Max Verstappen while preparing for his final attempt.
Even with those complications, Russell secured a front-row starting position and finished just 0.060 seconds behind Gasly.
That suggests Mercedes may still have had more performance available.
Can Ferrari put Russell under pressure?
The starting grid gives Ferrari an intriguing opportunity. With Antonelli starting at the back and Piastri’s penalty moving Leclerc and Hamilton onto the second row, Russell could effectively face a two-car Ferrari challenge at the opening corner.
Gasly remains the major unknown.
His pole position was fully deserved, but Alpine’s race pace has not yet been proven against Mercedes and Ferrari over a full stint. The A526 may therefore struggle to maintain the position once the race settles into its rhythm.
Monza also offers more opportunities to recover from a poor start than many circuits. The long run towards the Prima Variante, powerful slipstream effect and multiple overtaking opportunities mean Saturday’s qualifying order is far from decisive.
For Ferrari, the crucial question is whether the ADUO 2 gains and its race-focused aerodynamic setup can translate into genuine race-winning pace.
Russell remains the benchmark. But for the first time this weekend, Mercedes does not look completely untouchable.
Monza starting grid
- Pierre Gasly — Alpine
- George Russell — Mercedes
- Charles Leclerc — Ferrari
- Lewis Hamilton — Ferrari
- Max Verstappen — Red Bull
- Oscar Piastri — McLaren (+3 places for impeding Lawson)
- Franco Colapinto — Alpine
- Lando Norris — McLaren
- Arvid Lindblad — Racing Bulls
- Gabriel Bortoleto — Audi
- Ollie Bearman — Haas
- Nico Hulkenberg — Audi
- Carlos Sainz Jr. — Williams
- Esteban Ocon — Haas
- Yuki Tsunoda — Racing Bulls
- Valtteri Bottas — Cadillac
- Sergio Perez — Cadillac
- Fernando Alonso — Aston Martin
- Lance Stroll — Aston Martin
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli — Mercedes (penalised for PU replacement)
- Alex Albon — Williams (penalised for PU replacement)
- Liam Lawson — Red Bull (penalised for PU replacement)
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