Formula 1 could find itself “going down a dangerous path” if it does not handle a new rule around engine upgrade opportunities carefully, Anthony Davidson has warned.

As part of the 2026 power unit regulations, manufactures judged to be at least two percent behind the best-performing engine will be granted Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO).

F1’s governing body the FIA is yet to announce which manufacturers have qualified for the first upgrade opportunity, with a decision expected to come ahead of the next race, the Miami Grand Prix on 3 May.

Former F1 driver Davidson fears it could result in the series effectively adopting a Balance of Performance (BoP) - a controversial mechanism used in other motorsport categories to equalise performance.

“Really what we don’t want this to turn into is a Balance of Performance. I don’t think that really has a place in Formula 1,” Davidson said on the Sky Sports F1 Show podcast.

“I think it should be about who are the best engineers, who can use their money the most wisely. The cost cap, in effect, is F1’s Balance of Performance. Everyone has the same pot to play with and may the best engineering team win.

“As it stands at the moment, it seems Mercedes’ power units have done the best job. But it’s a complex one this year, because you’ve got the whole electric motor side of things and the battery integration. Is it the ICE, or it just your whole integration of the electrical side, which is pretty much half of your horsepower, giving you that advantage?

“You could end up going down a dangerous path here with teams jumping up and saying ‘we need a bit of performance gain here’. They might be sandbagging to get that performance gain.

“This has to be handled extremely carefully, otherwise you do get into that situation that we see in many other categories around the world, where they do have Balance of Performance and games are played.”

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has urged the FIA to ensure the rule doesn’t influence the pecking order, suggesting that only Honda warrants an upgrade.

“It seems for me there’s one engine manufacturer that has a problem, and we need to help. But then all the others are pretty much in the same ballpark,” Wolff told media including Crash.net.

“So I would be very surprised actually to see, and disappointed, if ADUO decisions come up with any interferences into the competitive pecking order as it stands at the moment.

“The principle of the ADUO was to allow teams that were on the back foot to catch up - but not to leapfrog.

“It needs to be very clear that whatever decisions are being made and whatever team is granted an ADUO, any decision may have a big impact on the championship if not done with absolute precision and clarity and transparency.”

Wolff added: “It needs to be clear that gamesmanship hasn’t got any place here, but it needs to be with the right spirit here that the FIA acts upon an ADUO.”