F1 News: Horner says the 2026 engine is their biggest challenge

In what could make Max Verstappen decide to leave the Red Bull F1 team, team principal Christian Horner admitted “it’s going to take time” to take on the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes in the power unit department, with the team in the process of constructing their 2026 powertrain.

Losing Adrian Newey was a huge blow, but an even bigger challenge is coming in 2026.

He remained adamant Red Bull Powertrains can “absolutely” challenge the established marques in the sport when Formula 1 changes both its chassis and power unit regulations in 2026, but acknowledged this step is “by far our biggest challenge.”

“We’ve got a massive regulation change, they’re changing the engine and the chassis in ‘26 and we’re building our own engine for ‘26, in partnership with Ford Motor Company, and that’s a huge challenge,” Horner explained on talkSPORT.

“So we’re taking on Ferrari and Mercedes, you know, as a subsidiary of Red Bull, and that is by far our biggest challenge in the sport.

“But we’ve got the right group of people, we’ve got the right facilities, and most importantly, we’ve got the right mindset and culture and a can-do attitude to say, ‘look, we can take them on.’

“It’s going to take time, but we can absolutely do it”, said Horner.

“I mean, Formula 1 is very good at that, changing the rules just as things are getting spicy,” Horner said to the media at the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP.

“I mean, 2026 is the biggest reset in probably the last 60 years of Formula 1, where both powertrain and chassis are changing, but that’s the same for everyone.

“There will be winners and losers from that. First of all, 2025 is where the focus will be.”