Christian Horner reacts to speculation that Red Bull has been lobbying F1's push towards V10 engines

Red Bull Racing's team principal, Christian Horner, has rubbished rumors of his team lobbying against the 2026 technical regulation changes. He affirmed that his squad is not in favor of the V10 engine's return; they’ve already invested in setting up their own engine manufacturing plant to produce a power unit as per 2026 regulations.

Formula 1 is gearing up for a groundbreaking change in technical regulations. In 2026, the power unit, chassis and aerodynamic regulations will be overhauled as F1 plans to move towards sustainability.

However, the latest rumors have suggested that F1 might scrap the upcoming regulation change to bring back V10 engines on sustainable fuels. While teams like Audi and Cadillac have opposed the idea, rumors suggested that Red Bull is lobbying against the 2026 regulation changes.

However, team principal Christian Horner has clarified his team's stance by quashing the speculations. He argued that his team has already set up an engine manufacturing unit of their own to build an engine for 2026 in partnership with Ford. Hence, scrapping the plan at the last minute would do them no good.

Talking to RacingNews365, he said:

“I think all teams are all in at the moment for 2026, so we'd have to understand what it was all about. We have a power unit business now; we’re running engines on dynos. There's been some speculation that we're pushing for a delay. That’s absolutely not the case. We’re geared up and ready for 2026. That’s our plan."

Horner also opined that he does not see the V10 engine return plan going into motion any time soon as it's too last minute.

Earlier, Audi and Cadillac also rejected the idea of scrapping the 2026 technical regulation change. Cadillac argued that the scuffle in power unit rules played a huge role in their decision to enter F1 and that new teams would not be able to sustain if current regulations are extended to favor the return of V10 engines.

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Red Bull's Max Verstappen expresses admiration for V10 engines

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen at F1 Grand Prix Of China - Source: Getty

While Red Bull seems committed to the 2026 engine regulation change, Max Verstappen is open to the idea of extending his F1 career if V10 engines were to return in the future.

When media reporters asked him if V10 engines could make him stay longer in F1, Verstappen said (via PlanetF1):

“Maybe, yeah. It’s definitely more exciting than what we have currently."

While rumors of the V10 engine's return in F1 have excited some drivers and fans, Formula 1 won't likely compromise its stand on sustainability. If the older power units do return in the future, they will likely run on sustainable fuels.

Regardless, for now, F1 is yet to confirm speculations around V10 engines. All teams are reportedly focused on the 2026 season engine regulation as time is running out.