“Typical Toto,” Christian Horner fires back at Toto Wolff for claiming he is ‘frightened’ of the 2026 engine regulations

Red Bull will be manufacturing their own powertrains in association with Ford from 2026.

Christian Horner and Toto Wolff (Credits: The Guardian)

Renowned Red Bull Racing boss, Christian Horner, has expressed his disapproval of the upcoming engine regulations set to be implemented in 2026. Horner desires adjustments to the regulations, whereas Toto Wolff, the team principal of Mercedes, has firmly stated that there is a zero percent chance of any further adjustments. Wolff believes that Horner’s opposition stems from his concerns about the potential failure of Red Bull’s own engine project.

The ever-competitive Toto Wolff emphatically dismissed the possibility of a rule change, stating that it would not happen and that there is a zero chance of it occurring. Wolff expressed his confusion regarding the emergence of such discussions, expressing uncertainty about the reasons behind these speculations.

He said, on a prospective regulation tweak, “Not going to happen, zero chance, capital letters. I don’t know why these things are coming up. I think what frightens him more is maybe that his engine programs is not coming along and maybe he wants to kill it that way.” Since, speaking to the media, Horner has hit back at Wolff’s comments.

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“Unfortunately that’s typically Toto where he’s just focused on self-performance. My interest is actually about the sport rather than self-gain. It’s still way too early to say who’s going to have a competitive or uncompetitive engine in 2026. For me the most important thing is from a sports point of view, that we all have a collective responsibility to work with the FIA and the commercial rights holder to ensure that the product is as good as it can be, otherwise we’ve all failed,” said Christian Horner.

Christian Horner is apprehensive of 2026 cars being a ‘technical Frankenstein’

Christian Horner (Credits: Irish Mirror)

The Briton has expressed concerns regarding the plans for increased reliance on batteries in Formula 1, where there would be a 50/50 split between the combustion engine and electric power production. He worries that this approach could potentially result in cars being unable to run at their maximum potential throughout a lap due to insufficient energy production.

Although the FIA remains confident and believes it is premature to worry about such matters, Horner has urged caution in how Formula 1 proceeds. He suggests that it may be more prudent to decrease the reliance on electrical power to ensure the cars can perform optimally on the track.

?️ | Horner responds to Toto's claim that Red Bull is 'frightened' of the 2026 regs because they're behind on their engine

"Unfortunately, that's typically Toto, where he's just focused on self-performance. My interest is actually about the sport rather than self-gain."#F1 pic.twitter.com/zT2bSPy4W9
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) July 5, 2023

He uses the term “technical Frankenstein” to describe a scenario where the cars’ chassis would have to compensate for the increased reliance on electrical power by incorporating movable aerodynamic components and reducing drag to extreme levels.

The Briton believes that a simple five percent shift in the balance between combustion and electric power could address the concerns. He emphasizes the critical importance of getting this balance right for the future of Formula 1, and rectifying the ratio before ‘it’s too late’. His star driver Max Verstappen also shares his view. It will be intriguing to see if the FIA heed this warning and tweak the future directives.