08/07/2023
NEWS STORY
Though the 2026 regulations have yet to be 'set in stone', Christian Horner insists that his powertrains division is ahead of schedule.
As has become the norm, the Briton was recently involved in a spat with Toto Wolff over the 2026 engine regulations, Horner calling for the (yet to be agreed) rules to be tweaked in order that the proposed 50/50 split between internal combustion engine and electric power see a shift of 5 - 10% in favour of the ICE.
"We've got approximately 50/50 at the moment," said the Briton in Austria last week. "It doesn't need to change that much but to cater for the circuits, maybe even a 5% swing could have a significant effect, even a 10% swing, because obviously one of the biggest weight additions as well as the cell weight.
"The size of the battery is colossal for these 2026 regs and I think with the work that's going on with sustainable fuel and then the car has been effectively carbon zero, it's phenomenal.
"So I think if we just tune that ratio, I think very quickly you could take the dependence away from having the need for active aero and constantly movable diffusers and wings and the complexity that will bring."
Wolff suggested that his rival was making the call because his powertrains division isn't ready.
"I think what frightens him more is that maybe his engine programme is not coming along and maybe he wants to kill it that way," said the Austrian.
"You always have to question what is the real motivation to say something like that," he added.
Speaking at Silverstone however, Horner was keen to dismiss Wolff's suggestion.
"I actually think we're in good shape," he said. "We've got two-and-a-half years.
"I am not sure how close Toto is to his engine business," he added, accusing the Austrian of "scaremongering".
"As you start to see the programme really coming to life and as the simulations firm up, you see some of the limitations. Which are inevitable," he said. "I would say it is perhaps a result of us maybe being well advanced, that we're actually seeing some of the limitations.
Referring to his proposed tweak, he said: "Whether you do it on the fuel flow or the cell mass, you just need to change that ratio slightly to ensure that we get great racing."
Speaking in Austria, Max Verstappen said that a simulation run in the proposed 2026 car, saw him need to change down the gears on the straights in order to recharge the battery.
"It looks pretty terrible," he said. "If you go flat-out on the straight at Monza, like 400 or 500 metres before the end of the straight, you have to downshift flat-out because that's faster.
"I think that's not the way forward," he warned. "We have to seriously look at this because I mean, 2026 is not that far away. And at the moment, to me, it looks very bad from all the numbers and what I see from the data already.
"I'm just not sure how many are actually fully aware of how it's looking," he added, referring to fellow drivers.
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