Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has raised doubts about Toto Wolff’s understanding of his team’s 2026 engine development as a customer team rather than one that develops its own engines.
The two have been engaged in a debate regarding Formula 1’s incoming rules, with Horner expressing concerns about their potential impact on the sport, as Red Bull’s simulations indicate they may struggle for pace.
Wolff, on the other hand, has suggested that Horner is primarily concerned with his team’s own performance rather than the overall welfare of the sport.
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Horner questioned Wolff’s involvement in his team’s engine business, stating, “I’m not sure how close Toto is to his engine business because he’s a customer, he’s not involved in HPP’s [High-Performance Powertrains] business formally.”
Horner emphasised that Red Bull’s feedback from their engine development business has revealed certain limitations that are becoming more apparent as the program progresses and the simulations become more refined.
While acknowledging the inevitable constraints, Horner expressed the belief that being well advanced in their own development process has allowed them to identify these limitations.
From a holistic perspective, Horner highlighted the need to consider the compromises that would be necessary in the chassis regulations to compensate for the recovery on the engine side, particularly regarding fully active aero.
He argued that there is still an opportunity to adjust the ratio and address these concerns, without requiring a complete overhaul.
Horner clarified that his intentions were not solely driven by self-interest as an engine manufacturer but rather aimed at achieving great racing for the sport as a whole.
He proposed slight adjustments to the ratio, whether related to fuel flow or cell mass, to ensure an optimal balance and enhance the quality of racing.
“The feedback that I’m getting from the business, and as you start to see the programme really coming to life and as the simulations firm up are some of the limitations. Which are inevitable,” he said.
“So I would say it’s perhaps as a result of us maybe being well advanced that we’re actually seeing some of the limitations.
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“And I think that not for self-gain here as an engine manufacturer, just looking holistically at the whole lot, looking at the compromises that we’re going to have to make on the chassis regs with fully active aero to compensate for the recovery on the engine, it still doesn’t feel too late to tune that ratio.
“And it wouldn’t take much. It’s not like we’re saying we have to rip everything up and start again.
“It’s whether you do it on a fuel flow or the cell mass, you just need to change that ratio slightly to ensure that we get great racing.”