Toto Wolff says Christian Horner RUNNING SCARED and questions Red Bull engine

Toto Wolff

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Wolff says Horner RUNNING SCARED and questions Red Bull engine

The Mercedes team principal was unimpressed with Horner's suggestions for rule changes

Lauren Sneath

Monday 3 July 2023 10:57 Updated: 13:29

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Toto Wolff has suggested that Christian Horner wants F1 engine rules to change because perhaps ‘his engine programme is not coming along’.

The Mercedes team principal suggested that his Red Bull rival wants to ‘kill’ new engine rules because of concern over his team’s competitiveness.

Wolff made the remarks yesterday after Horner recently said that “where we need to pay urgent attention before it’s too late is to look at the ratio between combustion power and electrical power”.

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The Red Bull team principal was concerned about F1 ‘creating a technical Frankenstein’ and pushed for a redress to created a better platform for the chassis.

Toto Wolff suggested that Christian Horner is concerned about his engine programme at Red Bull

Horner said: “I think that perhaps where we need to pay urgent attention before it’s too late is to look at the ratio between combustion power and electrical power to ensure that we’re not creating a technical Frankenstein which will require the chassis to compensate to such a degree, with moveable aero to reduce the drag to such a level that the racing will be affected.

“There will be no tow effect, there will be no DRS because effectively you’re running at that at all points in time, and that the combustion engine just doesn’t become a generator to recharge a battery.

“I think that could easily be addressed with just tuning the ratio between combustion and electrical power.”

Wolff: Zero chance of a rules revision

While the Mercedes boss conceded that F1 will “need to have good chassis regulations because we have a challenging power unit”, he was unimpressed with Horner’s suggestions.

He said a rule change is “not going to happen, zero chance, capital letters," adding “I don’t know why these things are coming up.

“We’ve developed those regulations over many years with all the auto manufacturers being involved. It was a compromise that attracted Audi to finally join the sport, for Honda to stay in there. The best possible case that one could imagine for Formula 1.

“Is it challenging? Are our chassis designers saying, ‘How are we going to do this?’ Yeah, super.

“But zero (chance). These regulations are not going to change any more."

Toto Wolff and Christian Horner have been rivals for years

He added: “They’re not going to be postponed any more because the world needs to show innovation around sustainability. We need to reduce emissions and we’re super-excited.”

Wolff also questioned Horner’s motivation for wanting a change in the rules.

He said: “I think what frightens him more is maybe that his engine programmes is not coming along and maybe he wants to kill it that way.

“So you always have to question what’s the real motivation to say something like that.”