Christian Horner dismisses claims Red Bull wants V10s back, reaffirming full focus on the 2026 F1 engine revolution with Ford.
Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner has firmly denied that his team is lobbying for a return to the iconic V10 engines or a delay to Formula 1’s major rule changes set for 2026.
Recent rumors suggested Red Bull — along with Ferrari — was behind a push to bring back V10 engines, this time fueled by 100% sustainable fuel. The speculation hinted that the team might be worried about the performance of their new Red Bull Powertrains engine, developed in partnership with Ford and scheduled to debut in 2026.
But Horner says that’s simply not the case.
“We now have our own power unit division and are already running engines on the test bench,” Horner explained. “Of course, we face our own challenges — just like every other team — but we’re fully focused on 2026. That’s the plan.”
His comments come after Pat Symonds — a veteran F1 engineer now consulting for the new Cadillac team — raised concerns about the future of some teams if the 2026 regulations don’t proceed as planned. Symonds, referring to Cadillac’s engine packaging, warned: “We designed the car around a 2026-spec Ferrari engine. A 2025 engine just wouldn’t fit.”
Symonds dismissed the idea of scrapping the upcoming rules as unrealistic “wishful thinking.”
When asked about the rumored V10 revival, Horner agreed: “I’d be very surprised if we see a return to the V10. The process is already far along. There’s a governance structure, there’s a process, and there are rules.”
He was clear — Red Bull is not asking for a delay, nor are they looking backward.
“We’re not asking for an extension of the current rules. We’re ready for 2026,” Horner concluded.
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No Delay, No V10: Red Bull Backs 2026 F1 Overhaul
No Delay, No V10: Red Bull Backs 2026 F1 Overhaul
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