Horner wants more money for new engine department, Ferrari and Mercedes fearful

Christian Horner wants Formula 1 to release more money to new engine manufacturers to keep investing after 2026. However, Red Bull Racing's competitors fear a coup with Porsche and Audi.

Horner wants more money

Formula 1 has the framework in place for its engines starting in 2026, but the details are far from finalised. There is a deadline in June to announce them, but given the different views, it remains to be seen whether that deadline will be met. In any case, Horner is hoping for more room in the budget cap.

Starting in 2026, a budget cap will also be set for the engine manufacturers. With the new engine, without MGU-H, the development of the engines should then also remain closer together. New manufacturers will receive an additional ten million dollars in the first year and another five million dollars in the second year. In addition, they get fifteen million dollars to spend on equipment and time on the dyno.

Horner spoke to The Race and said he is satisfied with the extra ten and five million to spend in addition to the budget cap, but argues that the fifteen million the team can spend on equipment is too little to catch up with the big brands. ''In some cases they have invested 70 years in their engine department. It is not realistic for us to have that engine department fully operational in eight months,'' says the Red Bull Racing team boss.

Mercedes and Ferrari worry

However, the competition is worried about Red Bull Powertrains and its possible link with Porsche. Nothing is yet clear about that partnership and if Porsche is also identified as a new manufacturer, Porsche and Red Bull could use twice that budget to develop the new engine separately.

There are also concerns about what Audi will do. Audi, according to Wednesday's reports, would consider building an engine of its own, which would give it information about two engines within the Volkswagen Group. Porsche then has the cooperation with Red Bull and thus information about the Honda engine, where Audi will continue to work on the engine Porsche has started for the potential project in 2018.

This transfer of knowledge within one dome is something Red Bull's competitors naturally want to avoid, lest Volkswagen be given a free pass towards a title. Where Horner is therefore focusing on bigger budget for his equipment, Ferrari and Mercedes are mainly curious about what rules F1 is coming up with to prevent that information transfer and how they are going to control it.