Horner and Wolff disagree once again: This time, here's the topic!

09:09, 03 May
1 Comments
Cynics would say that Toto Wolff (Mercedes) and Christian Horner from Red Bull Racing agree for once. That is, they agree to disagree. This time, the topic is the weight of the F1 cars in 2026.
Some teams have reported that it will be incredibly difficult to get anywhere close to the minimum weight next year. It is expected that this will lead to significant differences in the weight of their vehicles, which will naturally affect the performance of the cars.
During the press conference for team representatives, Wolff and Horner were asked about the topic and a dialogue ensued - exactly as the world has come to expect from the duo.
Horner: Naturally, Toto and I are at opposing ends on this.”
Wolff: “Have been for a few years now.”
Horner: "Yeah, I’m loving the new look. I’m loving the new look."
Oliver Oakes, Alpine's team boss, also present there: That’s why I’m Switzerland in this.”
Horner: “Exactly. A number was plucked out of the air for car weight. We’ve got engines that are significantly heavier and a car weight that has become lower. So it will be an enormous challenge for every team to achieve it [weight].”
“Saving weight costs a colossal amount of money. There was a discussion last week about introducing steel skids – maybe that would warrant adding 5 kilos to the minimum weight. But it is what it is. It’s the same for everybody. There will be choices teams make to hit the weight, because weight is free lap time. Every 10 kilos is about 0.35 seconds. It will be very challenging for all teams to get down to minimum weight.”
Wolff: “ Like Christian said, you make choices as a team. How much lap time do you attribute to weight and ballast? Where do you want to save? You may compromise other performance parts if you want to reduce your weight, or the opposite. It is challenging.”
“The reason we’re doing it is to make the cars more nimble. Is that something that was important? I think it was. We’ve got to start somewhere. That initial step is difficult, but it’s the same for everyone.”
Oakes: “I'm in the middle. I'm neutral. I'm happy.”
antonelli