Imago
FORMULA 1 – GP of Austria 2018 SPIELBERG,AUSTRIA,29.JUN.18 – MOTORSPORTS, FORMULA 1 – Grand Prix of Austria, Red Bull Ring, free practice. Image shows team principal Christian Horner (Red Bull Racing) and executive director Toto Wolff (Mercedes). GEPAxpictures/xDanielxGoetzhaber
Imago
FORMULA 1 – GP of Austria 2018 SPIELBERG,AUSTRIA,29.JUN.18 – MOTORSPORTS, FORMULA 1 – Grand Prix of Austria, Red Bull Ring, free practice. Image shows team principal Christian Horner (Red Bull Racing) and executive director Toto Wolff (Mercedes). GEPAxpictures/xDanielxGoetzhaber
2026 is all ready to kick start the latest era of Formula 1. With the latest iteration of F1 engine regulations, the sport will lead to a more efficient and powerful power unit to propel teams to F1 glory. But as it is with any rule change, technical or otherwise, the political power plays start to commence. And unsurprisingly, it is Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner and Mercedes supremo, Toto Wolff at the forefront of it again.
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Horner has been a strong advocate for looking into “the ratio between combustion power and electrical power,” in the latest regulations. But Wolff snapped back with a back-handed remark that maybe the Brit was concerned about his latest partnership with Ford not coming along the way he expected, hence, the pleas for a changed perspective to the rule changes.
Christian Horner snaps back at selfish Toto Wolff
The duo have always been at loggerheads with each other. However, they may have hit each other too close to home this time. While addressing the Austrian’s comments, Horner seemed to suggest that ‘Wolff only thinks of himself’!
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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
Motorsport-Total.com quoted Horner as saying, “Unfortunately, that’s typical for Toto. He only focuses on his own performance, but my interest is in the sport and not in my own advantage.” [translated via Google Translate]
While Horner himself may have been a staunch defender of the latest 2026 regs, he does have a detractor in his own camp.
Max Verstappen lends support to Wolff
2x champion Max Verstappen is anything but pro-Mercedes. That being said, threatened by the latest regulations that could endanger the sport that he loves, the Dutch lion has leaped to Wolff’s support amid the hot debate around the 2026 rules.
Max Verstappen has warned that F1’s 2026 rules look “pretty terrible” based on what he has seen and heard from his engineers 👀
What do you think the priority should be for 2026? pic.twitter.com/leXZb3r10p
— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) July 3, 2023
Verstappen was quoted by Motorsport.com as saying, “I’ve been talking about that as well with the team, and I’ve seen the data already on the simulator as well. To me, it looks pretty terrible. If you go flat out on the straight at Monza, and I don’t know what it is, like four or five hundred [metres] before the end of the straight, you have to downshift flat out because that’s faster. I think that’s not the way forward. But of course, probably that’s one of the worst tracks.”
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Will the 2026 regulations kill F1 or take it to another level?
Written by
Edited by
Varunkumaar Chelladurai