Red Bull has been enjoying hegemony on the F1 grid since winning the 2021 Driver’s World Championship. But the primary concern of the defending constructor champions is the 2026 Engine rules. Christian Horner feels it won’t be good for the sport if the ratio of combustion engines and electrical engines changes. Horner thinks the combustion engine does not work as a generator to recharge the battery.
Moreover, Max Verstappen had a test run with the 2026 engines, and it did not impress him at all. The Dutchman said, “The car with 2026 engines feels terrible.” Hence, it is clear that Red Bull is not at all happy with F1’s 2026 engine regulations. The team has been very vocal about it. Moreover, the Red Bull team points out the extra weight these new 2026 engines will have on the cars.
F1 CEO Acknowledges The Red Bull Team’s Concerns
According to Horner, the engines will add 30 kilos extra, excluding the cooling system. It will have a bad impact on the racing. After these complaints, Stefano Domenicali, F1 CEO, told Motorsport-Total.com that they would have a discussion regarding these issues with the technical representatives in the following few weeks. According to F1 CEO, there needs to be a balance to understand comments. Moreover, there is a need to have further meetings to make sure that the work and efforts are going in the right direction.
Stefano Domenicali further added that he is confident that they will get the right package. But they will consider the relative choices of the powertrain, engine, and, of course, the car. Most importantly, team principals praised the idea of using sustainable fuels. The F1 CEO stated that the weight and sound will get equal importance along with the eco-friendly fuel. What F1 is basically trying to do is to get a fusion of old times and modernity. Moreover, Formula One aims to bring back the good elements of the V10 era’s iconic sounds and keep a balance with the modern structure.
Dominance Of A Single Team For Long Streaks May Not Be Ideal For F1 Sport
With the beginning of the cost-cap era, the Austrian team found a new level of superiority due to their car. Christian Horner has been waiting to come back on top for as many as eight years. Red Bull used to dominate the grid from 2010 to 2013 until Mercedes took over and ruled for eight years. Christian Horner is glad to be back on top. But he wonders how long his team will dominate the grid without a break.
Moreover, fans and experts wonder whether the dominance of a particular team for several years is suitable for the sport or not. The basic idea of the cost cap rules was to make it fair for every team. But as it turns out, Red Bull alone is ruling over every other team. Albeit, teams like Aston Martin and McLaren are showing signs of vast improvement. However, Christian Horner does not think that Red Bull will have a long dominant streak like their rivals Mercedes.
