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Christian Horner reveals APPREHENSION ahead of 2025 season as important warning emerges

Horner has not minced his words ahead of the new season

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 26 February 2025 03:00

Red Bull Formula 1 chief Christian Horner has revealed huge apprehension ahead of the 2025 season, issuing a stark warning to the sport and its governing body, the FIA.

Red Bull embark on their 2025 season looking to gain back some pride having finished third in the constructors' standings last campaign.

McLaren proved the class of the field in that regard last year, with Ferrari also finishing ahead of Red Bull, marking a sharp decline for the team that had been so dominant in 2023.

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Max Verstappen did still manage to win the drivers' championship, his fourth consecutive title, but even that came with its tough times, with Red Bull's performance struggles leading to him having a 10-race winless streak in the middle of the year.

Max Verstappen won his fourth title in 2024

McLaren beat Red Bull and Ferrari to the 2024 constructors' championship

Christian Horner issues FIA warning

Elsewhere, Ferrari has a supremely talented driver lineup, with qualifying maestro Charles Leclerc being joined by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton for 2025 and beyond.

The wide-open nature of the 2025 championship race is complimented by the unknown of the season after, with new regulations set to sweep into the sport in 2026.

Red Bull will be without key team members Jonathan Wheatley and design genius Adrian Newey heading into that particular season, as they start a new era themselves. The team will be powered by their own power units for the first time, starting a powertrain department alongside car manufacturer Ford.

2026 is set to see a huge aero and engine regulation change

Now, Red Bull team principal Horner has issued his concerns surrounding the 2026 regulation changes, as he looked ahead to the upcoming championship battles.

"This year is set to be super, super competitive, which is very, very exciting," Horner told TalkSport. "I think where there is a little bit of apprehension is we have a big regulation change for 2026.

"So it's the first time car and engine in probably 50 years have been changed simultaneously. And inevitably there will be a divergence of performance at that point.

"It's really important that FIA and the commercial rights holder, they make sure that the boundaries of that, that there's the ability to recover quickly."

Red Bull Mercedes McLaren Christian Horner FIA