The 2026 F1 season will see the introduction of a brand-new Power Unit – something which has already led to disagreements between arch nemesis Toto Wolff and Christian Horner. After Wolff recently called out Christian Horner for criticizing the new power unit regulations, the Red Bull team principal had a stern reply for Wolff.
Toto Wolff had gone no-holds-barred on Horner when the Red Bull team boss had raised questions about the huge dependence of the new power units on electrical power. Wolff had strategically taken a shot at Red Bull and claimed that the only reason why Horner was complaining is that the engines produced by Red Bull are not up to the mark.
🗣️ | Toto Wolff says Christian Horner is ‘frightened’ about F1’s 2026 rules because Red Bull’s engine project is behind the curve
“I think what frightens him more maybe is that his engine programme is not coming along, and then maybe he wants to kill it [the rules] that way.” pic.twitter.com/EbmxZmwVyX
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) July 2, 2023
Ever since splitting with Honda at the end of the 2021 season, Red Bull has been producing their own power units under the name of RBPT – Red Bull PowerTrains. With how the last season panned out, it would be fair to say that the Milton Keynes outfit has been quite successful with their power unit venture.
The Toto Wolff vs Christian Horner rivalry reignites
Horner had asked the FIA to reconsider the huge contribution of the electrical part of the engine to the power unit. He had asked for a reduction of around 5 to 10%. This did not go down well with Wolff.
The Mercedes team boss was quick to take his stance and claim that the FIA should not let this happen at any cost. He commented further, “Perhaps what scares him the most is that their engine program is not progressing as it should.”
Christian Horner replies to Toto Wolff’s comments about his request for a review on the 2026 PU: “This is Toto’s typical way of doing. He only cares about himself and his team’s performance. I think about sport in general rather than my personal gain.”https://t.co/gbF1T86utz pic.twitter.com/FCDuuC0Riw
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) July 3, 2023
However, Horner also decided to hit back at Toto Wolff. During the Austrian GP weekend, Horner mentioned how Wolff has a habit of only caring about his own benefits. On the other hand, Horner is asking for these changes for the benefit of the sport as a whole.
Horner said, “He only cares about himself and his team’s performance. I think about the sport in general rather than my personal gain.” Horner explained further that he has no idea whether the changes will benefit or harm Mercedes. He wants them because he wants the best for Formula 1.
The new regulations for 2026
There will be some marked changes in the new power unit that will be used by the teams from the 2026 season onwards. Some of the major changes include the usage of fully sustainable fuels – which means that no fossil fuel will be burnt, and lesser usage of the aforementioned fuel. It is estimated that only 70kg of fuel will be required by the power unit for the whole race, compared to around 100kg today.
Another huge change includes the bigger and better electrical components which will produce three times the power produced by the components today. And despite all of these changes, there would be a new engine-specific cost cap. This will allow the smaller teams to catch up and compete with the big names on the grid.
All in all, racing is expected to be quite different in 2026. Now, whether it will change for the better or worse, remains to be seen.
