Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is trying to “kill” Formula 1’s new engine rules for the 2026 season, according to his Mercedes rival Toto Wolff.
Wolff claimed Horner’s recent calls to change the rules, which were agreed last year, show he is concerned about the competitiveness of the engine his team will use in 2026.
F1 has set a target for the power generated by its 2026 engines to be split 50-50 between the conventional engine and the battery.
But Horner claimed F1 cars are at risk of becoming “technical Frankensteins” under the new rules and warned drivers might have to change down gears on the straights on some tracks in order to top up the charge on their batteries.
Wolff rubbished that claim, telling media including RaceFans yesterday: “That’s not going to happen.”
“Do you think that in all reality we are not innovative in this sport to come up with chassis and engine regulations that can avoid drivers shifting down on the straights?” he asked.
While the power unit regulations for 2026 were agreed last year, the chassis rules are still under discussion. F1 is considering drastic changes to the cars’ aerodynamics including the introduction of more moveable devices to reduce the drag generated on the straights.
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However Horner believes a simpler way to address the problem would be to allow greater power generation by the internal combustion engine.
“We’re dealing with a power unit now, as well as the chassis for ’26, and I think that one of the big issues, and one of the big impacts for 2026 is weight. You’re looking at pretty much a 30 kilogram swing on cars which are already approaching sports car-type of weight through the cooling that’s going to be required and so on.
“I think there’s some very positive things about 2026, the sustainable fuel and so on is extremely positive. But I think that perhaps where we need to pay urgent attention before it’s too late is to look at the ratio between combustion power and electrical power.”
Horner sees several potential down sides to the current regulations. He said F1 must “ensure that we’re not creating a technical Frankenstein which will require the chassis to compensate to such a degree with movable aero, and to reduce the drag to such a level that the racing will be affected, that there will be no tow effect, there will be no DRS because effectively you’re running that at all points in time. And that […] the combustion engine doesn’t just become a generator to recharge a battery.”
He believes the problem “could easily be addressed with just tuning the ratio between combustion and electrical power.”
“We still have two and a half years,” Horner continued, “and I think if there is a slight redress it would then create potentially a better platform for the chassis. Because otherwise the chassis regs that are undefined yet and uncommitted, we’re going to be trying to cater for those compromises.
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“I think you’ve got to look at the thing holistically from both a technical point of view but the most important thing is: what is Formula 1? And Formula 1 needs to be wheel-to-wheel racing. We can’t afford to lose that challenge [and have] drivers downshifting on straights to regenerate batteries. So I know the FIA are taking it very seriously, and they’re looking at it very closely as the simulations become more advanced.”
Increasing the amount of power generated by the conventional engine to 60% of the total would be sufficient, said Horner.
“We’ve got approximately 50/50 at the moment. It doesn’t need to change that much, but to cater for the circuits maybe even a 5% swing could have a significant effect, even a 10% swing, because obviously one of the biggest weight additions as well is the cell weight. The size of the battery is colossal for these 2026 regs and I think with the work that’s going on with sustainable fuel and then the car has been effectively carbon zero, it’s phenomenal.
“So I think if we just tune that ratio, I think very quickly you could take the dependence away from having the need for active aero and constantly movable diffusers and wings and the complexity that will bring.”
However Wolff said there is no possibility F1 will reopen discussions on the 2026 power units rules. Six manufacturers have already committed to enter the series under them, including Ford which will partner with Red Bull, along with Audi, Honda and the existing competitors.
A revisions of the rules is “not going to happen, zero chance, capital letters,” said Wolff. “I don’t know why these things are coming up.
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“We’ve developed those regulations over many years with all the auto manufacturers being involved. It was a compromise that attracted Audi to finally join the sport, for Honda to stay in there. The best possible case that one could imagine for Formula 1.
“Is it challenging? Are our chassis designers saying ‘how are we going to do this?’ Yeah, super.
“But zero [chance]. These regulations are not going to change any more. They’re not going to be postponed any more because the world needs to show innovation around sustainability. We need to reduce emissions and we’re super-excited.”
He accused Horner of being a “doom monger” by claiming drivers might have to down-shift on the straights. Wolff said that would only happen if the current chassis were used with the 2026 power units.
“There is a few tracks with very long straights where we would have massive de-rates in the power unit, but we’re not bolting on today’s chassis which are heavy like a prototype and big like an elephant.
“That’s why we need to reinvent for 2026 season, whether it is some retractable aerodynamic elements or whether the shapes of the cars are going to change in order to meet the more sustainable world, more aerodynamic efficiency. I think that’s great, so spectacular as a regulation.”
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However Wolff acknowledged F1 will “need to have good chassis regulations because we have a challenging power unit.”
“It will be very efficient and state-of-the-art in terms of architecture, between 50% electric and 50% combustion, that is very important that in Formula 1 we are still at the forefront of innovation. That means we need to build a car and define a car that has to be very aerodynamically efficient in order to compensate simply for the loss of energy. So that is an exciting project to aim for.
“How does the modern Formula 1 car for 2026 look like? How can we make it aerodynamically so efficient and capable that it can compensate for the lack of emissions, for the lack of combustion engine? And that should all excite us because we will come up with new concepts of Formula 1 cars that will be great.”
Red Bull created its own Powertrains division after Honda announced during 2020 it would leave F1 at the end of the following season. Red Bull Powertrains is developing its 2026 engine in conjunction with Ford, while Honda is returning to the series with Aston Martin.
Wolff believes Horner has only proposed changing the engine regulations for 2026 because he is concerned about the state of their development programme.
“I think what frightens him more is maybe that his engine programmes is not coming along and maybe he wants to kill it that way,” he said. “So you always have to question what’s the real motivation to say something like that.”
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