Horner: Wolff focussed on self-gain with 2026 stance

Christian Horner has said Toto Wolff is only focused on Mercedes rather than the needs of the sport following comments he made regarding Formula 1’s 2026 regulations.

The Red Bull boss holds a diametrically opposing view to that of Wolff over the sport’s next generation of rules.

Horner has called for changes to improve the show, while Wolff has said there’s “zero chance” of that happening.

While the chassis side of things is still to be finalised, the power units will include increased use of electrification.

However, Horner raised concerns that the increase to 50 percent of the engine’s output would detract from the racing as aerodynamic concessions would have to be made to implement them.

He suggested the result would be ‘Frankenstein’ cars that have had to compromise in areas to fit the regulations.

Supporting him is Max Verstappen, who claimed Red Bull’s data showed that, at some venues, drivers would downshift at full throttle on some straights.

The two-time world champion was also critical of the moveable aerodynamics concept, while Horner noted the weight of cars would again increase.

In response, Wolff suggested the comments were borne out of Red Bull’s struggles while developing their new power unit.

For 2026, Red Bull will develop its own engines, with the early work already underway within its Red Bull Powertrains operation.

Wolff also argued that the investment of several manufacturers set to enter, remain, or return to the sport because of the new rules mean they should be changed.

Horner hit back at those comments, suggesting his Mercedes counterpart was only looking out for himself and not the broader sport.

“That’s typically Toto, where he’s just focused on self-performance,” Horner said when asked by Speedcafe about the issue.

“My interest is actually about the sport rather than self-gain.

“It’s still way too early to see who’s going to have a competitive or uncompetitive engine in 2026.

“For me, the most important thing is, from a sports point of view, that we all have a collective responsibility to work with the FAI and the commercial rights holder to ensure that the product is as good as it can be.

“Otherwise, we’ve all failed.”