Christian Horner: Toto Wolff isn't directly involved with engine development

Christian Horner has expressed doubt about how familiar Toto Wolff is with the Mercedes Formula 1 2026 power unit programme.

Horner hinted that he is more cognizant of what is happening at the new Red Bull Powertrains division, which he officially supervises and which is located on the same site as the Red Bull race team in Milton Keynes.

He made these remarks in light of his warning that the 2026 regulations must be altered to avoid the need for "Frankenstein" automobiles, and that the current balance between internal combustion engine and electrical power should be reassessed.

In response, Wolff has implied that Horner is "afraid" because Red Bull is behind in its 2026 development program.

Horner, on the other hand, has stated that he believes the opposite is true, and that RBPT has first discovered the potential limitations of the new rules because it is ahead of some of its competitors.

"I'm not sure how close Toto is to his engine business, because he's a customer, he's not involved in HPP's business formally," he said.

"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.

"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.

"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."