It’s been reported by Auto Motor und Sport (AMuS) that Red Bull’s 2026 combustion engine is “ten HP below the target”, suggesting that the Austrians are currently on the back foot ahead of the new power unit regulations.
The 2026 engine regulations will see a 50/50 split between engine and battery power, something team principal Christian Horner has recently complained about.
Horner has insisted that changes must be made to the 2026 regs, amid fears that drivers will have to downshift on straights to “regenerate batteries”.
“F1 needs to be wheel-to-wheel racing,” Horner recently told the media.
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“We can’t afford to lose that challenge and have drivers downshifting on the straights to regenerate batteries.”
Ferrari have shown support towards Red Bull’s concerns, unlike Mercedes.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff doesn’t want to see the new regs tweaked, with the Austrian believing that Horner is trying to change things to reduce Red Bull’s disadvantage.
Red Bull are, of course, supplying their own engines for 2026 and have opened a power unit department as a result.
Based on a report by AMuS, Wolff might be correct in stating that Red Bull are behind schedule and that Horner is trying to have the rules changed to limit their potential deficit.
“The talk is that the combustion engine from Milton Keynes is about ten HP below the target,” AMuS has reported.
“There are teething problems, which is normal for a project that has been pulled up from white paper.
“The talk is that the combustion engine from Milton Keynes is about ten hp below the target.”
Whilst Red Bull have Ferrari in their corner, Mercedes have Renault in theirs.
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The French manufacturer are “happy” with the 2026 regs and don’t want to see changes made, something which was revealed by Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer.
Honda and Audi might perhaps also be against changes being made, given that the 50/50 split of how the power is produced is part of the reason why they decided to become a 2026 power unit supplier.
Whether tweaks are made or not remains to be seen, with it set to be a heavily discussed matter over the coming months.