Christian Horner’s ‘Frankenstein’ warning over 2026 F1 cars resurfaces

A past warning from Christian Horner about the direction of Formula 1’s 2026 regulations has re-emerged, in which he reportedly likened the upcoming cars to a potential “Frankenstein” creation.

The former Red Bull Racing boss was heavily involved in laying the groundwork for the new era, overseeing the launch of the team’s in-house powertrain project and recruiting senior engineers from manufacturers including Honda and Mercedes.

However, Horner was dismissed from his role as team principal in 2025 and will not lead Red Bull into the sport’s latest regulatory cycle, instead watching from the sidelines as the first season of the new rules unfolds.

It has emerged though, that Horner was initially unconvinced by the new concept of cars that will dominate F1 for the foreseeable future.

Horner's 2026 prophecy

Most drivers have criticised the 2026 cars, Max Verstappen being the most vocal of all, with the new machinery demanding more lifting and coasting alongside the deployment and harvesting of energy.

Lewis Hamilton also has warned that the new regulations and rules will be too complex for fans to understand, with several new terms already being banded about in testing such as boost mode, turbo lag and recharge mode.

In his own criticism, Verstappen revealed he raised these issues with the cars 'in 2023', but he wasn't the only person who could see the flaws in the new rules back then.

Swiss publication Blick, recently reflected on the 2026 regulations and claimed that an F1 team boss told them: "I still remember the first meeting about the new rules in London around four years ago. The main focus was on sustainability. Suddenly, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner stood up and said ‘Friends, watch out, we're creating a technical Frankenstein here. I'm not so optimistic’."

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