Christian Horner, the team boss of Red Bull, has shared his thoughts on the potential reintroduction of the V10 engine. He is in favor of bringing back ‘the engine that reintroduced the sound of Grand Prix racing’ to motorsport. This stance differs from that of his colleague, Toto Wolff.
In early February, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem hinted that the V10 engine, running on sustainable fuel, could potentially make a comeback in Formula 1. Many racing fans were thrilled with the news, as the atmospheric sounds of the larger engine, according to many purists, enhance the racing experience. The engine had its heyday during Michael Schumacher’s time at Ferrari, but has not been seen in Formula 1 since 2005.
Lewis Hamilton immediately expressed his support for the FIA President’s idea, provided the engines do not emit pollutants. However, his former team boss Toto Wolff remained skeptical. The Mercedes boss prefers to reserve the discussion for a ‘later stage’. Christian Horner now holds a different opinion from his colleague.
‘Various Possibilities’
“When you look at what the future engine in Formula 1 should be after this next generation (which is introduced in 2026), especially with the way sustainable fuel is being developed, it opens up all sorts of possibilities,” explains Horner. According to the Brit, the premier class with the 2026 engine has also gone a bit overboard. “We now unintentionally have a very expensive and very complex engine for 2026 and beyond.”
While Wolff thinks it’s too early to talk about future engines, Horner wants to start the discussion already. “The purist in me would love to go back to the V10, if that can be done with sustainable fuels. It’s the engine that reintroduced the sound of Grand Prix racing.” The Red Bull team boss therefore finds a return to the V10 engine an “interesting concept and one to definitely further develop” after 2026.
