FIA revisit rule change Wolff mockingly branded “a joke” – Christian Horner is no longer the boss of the Red Bull Racing team, but his prophetic insight stated some two years ago appears to be coming to pass. Horner railed against the proposal to increase the electrical power in the new 2026 power units by 300%, claiming it would produce “Frankenstein” monsters.
With the chassis regulations yet to be decided upon, the then Red Bull boss expressed concern in the summer of 2023 that the 50/50 ratio between electrical power and the internal combustion engine (ICE) would require strange designs for the car
“Perhaps where we need to pay urgent attention, before it’s too late, is to look at the ratio between combustion power and electrical power to ensure that we’re not creating a technical Frankenstein which will require the chassis to compensate to such a degree with movable aero and to reduce the drag to such a level that the racing will be affected,” said Horner.
Controversy over 2026 new F1 powertrains
He predicted there would be a loss of the tow effect and overtaking would become more difficult with the cars requiring moveable front and rear wings to control the additional power. Horner warned that to deliver the huge increase in electrical power, at times the ICE would merely be used to create charge for the battery and in effect “become a generator.”
Toto Wolff responded by mocking Horner suggesting that he was diverting attention from the fact the Red Bull Powertrain programme for 2026 was failing to deliver.
The power unit regulations were finalised in June last year and the chassis specifications were declared to be complete, although the FIA suggested there may yet be tweaks required. This initiated comment from F1 CEO Stefan Domenicali who suggested the highly complex and expensive power units for 2026, were the result of “politics” amongst the manufacturers.
He called for a return to simpler and more cost effective engines for the sport going forward, and even stated that were the decisions being made today, the 2026 powertrain specifications wold never have seen the light of day.
F1 manufacturers ‘appeased’
In an extensive interview with Autosport, Domeicali stated: “It is true that, because we don’t have to be to be shy or to hide behind a tree, that it was a compromise solution because of the different interests of all the different manufacturers, in fact.”
With just under a year before the new F1 power units debut in an extended pre-season testing period, the matter of the mix of power in the new specification raised its head again. There was a hastily adjusted agenda at the F1 commission meeting in Bahrain, where the FIA proposed a change in the power unit regulations for 2026, which did not involve changing the architecture in any way.
This meant none of the manufacturers would have to change the designs they’d been testing for more than a year, as the FIA called for the electrical power output to be reduced from 350kw to just 200kw.
With five manufacturers producing the new F1 power units, any vote would have required four of them to agree to the proposal. Its believed that Audi in particular were opposed to any changes because the R&D they had undertaken with such a high mix of electrical power, could be translated into their road car engine designs.
Mekies to change Red Bull “rebellious” culture
Wolff brands regulation change “a joke”
When shown the agenda for the meeting of the F1 commission, Toto Wolff was incredulous, branding it farcical. “Reading the agenda of the F1 commission is almost as hilarious as reading some of the comments that I see on Twitter on American politics,” he seethed. “I really want to protect ourselves and make no comment, but it’s a joke. A week ago, there was an engine meeting and then things like this end up on the agenda again.”
With no announcement being made following the meeting, it was clear the manufacturers had rejected the FIA’s proposals. Veteran F1 writer Jonathan noble is now reporting that the FIA is asking the teams and manufacturers to reconsider their proposal.
“One other element the FIA hopes teams will reconsider is a move to limit the power output in the races. if there are energy deployment issues that affect the racing at the start of 2026,” said Noble.
“Earlier this year, a proposal by the FIA to reduce the power by the standard 350 kilowatts to 200 kilowatts in races was rejected by the car manufacturers as they did not feel it necessary. It’s off the table for now, but something that could come back depending on how things shake up when we get to see the cars in action.”
Mercedes boss admits new engines will sound strange
Interestingly, today the head of Mercedes High Performance Powertrains has suggested there will be a significant change in the noise the new power units will make, describing it as a “completely new soundscape.” Hywel Thomas explained the reason for this change, saying: “Normally, the engines run at low revs when braking and cornering. In the future, the revs and thus the noise level will increase noticeably, even though the cars aren’t actually accelerating.”
The reason for this is as Horner predicted, at a number of circuits, the cars cannot generate enough electricity required from Kinetic recovery and under braking to fulfil the 320kw specification.
“We had to come up with something,” Thomas continued. “The engine switches to full-throttle mode when braking and cornering to produce additional energy, which we feed directly into the battery. So, for parts of a lap, the engine acts as a generator,” exactly as Horner predicted.
The view of a car slowing for the corner, whilst its engine screams at maximum power will be strange sight to see and hear. If in the view of the FIA the style of power delivery from the new 2026 specification is embarrassing the sport, they will unilaterally enforce their will on the manufacturers.
The very thing Toto Wolff believed to be a complete “joke” may well come back to haunt him and his old adversary Horner will have been proven correct.
Wolff over ruled by Mercedes-Benz CEO over Verstappen
The never ending saga of Verstappen moving to Mercedes has been afforded somewhat of a break since the bombshell news that Christian Horner had been sacked from Red Bull Racing. Yet with George Russell likely to be badgered again this weekend over why he hasn’t received a contract extension from the silver arrows team, the matter remains close to the headlines.
The tale to date began last season when in an attempt to destabilise his rivals, Toto Wolff made a open offer to Max Verstappen to join his Mercedes team. He further admitted talks had taken place between the Verstappen camp and himself over the summer break, although concluded any move would now be in 2026 and not earlier.
Knowing how important Dr. Helmut Marko is to Verstappen, Wolff even made the 81 year old Austrian an offer to join the Mercedes team. While rumours swirled in Saudi Arabia that Dr. Marko may be suspended for a suspected part in the leak of confidential documents, the Mercedes boss said cheekily: “Marko could take the old place of Niki Lauda at Mercedes. We are missing our old mascot anyway. Then we’ll just take Helmut! He fits in terms of age. He doesn’t have a red cap, but he can come to us.”…. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
