Ferrari could dominate with engine upgrades - Norris

World champion Lando Norris believes Ferrari could become virtually unbeatable if its upcoming engine upgrades deliver as expected.

After Lewis Hamilton’s dominant victory in Barcelona, attention is rapidly shifting to the next phase of Ferrari’s development plan under Formula 1’s controversial ADUO engine equalisation system.

"We’re lucky that Ferrari doesn’t currently have a better engine," Norris said after the Spanish GP.

"If they get a better engine, they’ll dominate everything. They’re already at the top of the field in terms of cornering speed. We’re not even close.

"If they improve the engine now, they’ll make everyone else look ridiculous," the McLaren driver added.

According to Auto Motor und Sport, Ferrari’s current situation is the result of a deliberate strategy.

The Italians reportedly accepted a power deficit at the start of the season in order to maximise other areas of performance, including drivability, low-speed response and aerodynamic efficiency.

The FIA’s first ADUO assessment reportedly confirmed what Ferrari expected - that its internal combustion engine was more than 4 percent down on the benchmark.

That result opened the door to multiple development opportunities under the equalisation system.

Ferrari’s first engine upgrade is expected as early as next week’s Austrian GP at Spielberg. Reports suggest the current deficit of roughly 25 horsepower could be reduced by more than half.

A further upgrade is already understood to be in development for Monza later in the season.

Red Bull continues to challenge the FIA’s controversial assessment that classified Red Bull-Ford as the benchmark engine manufacturer and therefore restricted its development opportunities.

"We certainly would like to have a deeper conversation because we do not see one single data sample that indicates that we would have an advantage over our friends at Mercedes," team boss Laurent Mekies said.

He argues Red Bull’s on-track performances tell a different story.

"You go to Canada, high ICE power sensitivity, we qualified sixth. You go to Monaco, low ICE power sensitivity, you qualify pretty much 0.04 from pole.

"You go to Barcelona, again high ICE power sensitivity, you qualify sixth again."

Mekies insists Red Bull’s own analysis does not support the FIA’s conclusions.

"We do not see one single data sample where we estimate ourselves higher than competition, let alone being consistently above them."

Former Ferrari driver Rene Arnoux blasted the 2026 regulations.

"This regulation is disgusting," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "It’s too complex, and it’s unacceptable that drivers are forced to recharge their batteries on the straight.

"I’m not against electric cars, but the 50-50 ratio was a terrible idea."