Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has pinpointed that sustainable fuels will be the “biggest area of differential” in the 2026 Formula 1 regulations.
Next year sees F1 undergo a radical overhaul as chassis and power unit regulations will change together.
On the power unit side of the regulations, the 1.6 litre turbo V6 hybrid powertrain has been retained, but with notable tweaks.
The MGU-H system will be scrapped, electrification will be ramped up to account for a 50/50 power split and 100% sustainable fuels will be introduced.
There’s speculation that 2026 will be an engine dominated formula, akin to the 2014 introduction of the hybrid powertrains but Horner, whose Red Bull outfit will produce engines in-house for the first time in collaboration with Ford, believes sustainable fuels will be a key differentiator between teams.
All 10 teams have respective fuel partners that will help them in this technical background, with success in this area sure to hand certain teams an edge.
“It’s a massive change,” Horner said of the 2026 regulations.
“It’s probably the biggest change F1 has had in 50 years where both chassis regs and engine regs are changing coterminously. That will create inevitable divergence.
“It’s a big set of regulation movements. The ratio between chassis and engine, also how that plays out.
“It’s exciting for us, coming with our own power unit in collaboration with Ford for 2026.
“For sure, fuel, going to 100% sustainable fuel in 2026 is probably the biggest area of differential that you’ll have. It’s exciting for us working with ExxonMobil, seeing the progress that’s being made in what will inevitably become a very competitive area.”
Hard to tell if F1 2026 will be PU-dominated – Zak Brown
McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes it’s “hard to tell” whether 2026 will be a power unit-dominated formula.
Regardless of this point, Brown has the view that just like any regulations, the power units will converge over time.
It’s a matter that is considered differently by Brown than Horner.
Horner’s Red Bull outfit is becoming an OEM from 2026 whereas McLaren will continue to be a customer of Mercedes High Performance Powertrains (HPP).
“Definitely with the big changes in the power unit, I think just like racing cars converge over time, power units will converge over time,” said Brown.
“I think there is an element of risk that new regulations will separate the field further, not just power units.
“It’s a significant design change. I think we’re still working through it.
“There are definitely some concerns to make sure that we get the balance right in how we go racing.
“It won’t be flat out all the time. I don’t think that’s going to be the case. That’s not the case now, but it is somewhat invisible to the fan.
“In terms of the fuel we’ve mentioned, that’s something we defer to HPP on as they supply us our fuel.”
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