Red Bull senior adviser Dr Helmut Marko has raised questions in the fast-paced world of Formula 1, criticising the 2026 power unit regulations, while rivals like Ferrari and Mercedes seem suspiciously silent.
Red Bull, the current champions, appear leery of some energy-related requirements as F1 prepares for a significant technical revamp with new power units to be introduced in 2026. Dr Marko’s remarks not only draw attention to the impending alterations but also inject some friendly competition by playfully teasing Toto Wolff of Mercedes and Frederic Vasseur of Ferrari.
An article on sportskeeda.com highlighted the issues at stake: “On the one hand, the heads of the sport are willing to increase the battery limit in each car and shift the power more towards electrical. Another debate is the size and weight of the cars in 2026, which will increase if larger batteries are installed.”
Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko spoke about his concerns. He said: “The cars have to get lighter and smaller again. If you then need 30 litres of fuel just to charge the battery, then something is wrong in terms of approach. The fact that you then have to slim down the car aerodynamically so that it no longer has any air resistance means that the effect of the slipstream is lost. There are brands that have the same concerns.”
In a brave move, Dr Marko didn’t think twice about criticising Mercedes’ Toto Wolff and Ferrari’s Frederic Vasseur.
He called out Red Bull’s main rivals for opposing the push for lighter 2026 engines.
“Vasseur continues his love affair with Toto [Wolff], so there is little resonance at Ferrari. At Renault, they don’t know what they’re doing,” said Dr Marko.
Red Bull was praised by team principal Christian Horner for an exceptional first-half performance in the 2023 Formula One season.
Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner could have hardly imagined a perfect run of victories leading up to the midseason break this August. However, his side pulled off this remarkable achievement, beating expectations.
Red Bull’s run of victories in both Grand Prix and sprint races throughout the 2023 Formula One season was made possible by the unrelenting dedication of every individual across all departments, said Horner,
“It’s about every member of the team, every department in the factory doing their job,” he said. “You don’t achieve these kinds of results by accident. It’s phenomenal to go into the summer break unbeaten in both GPs and sprints. It’s beyond everybody’s wildest imagination to be sitting in this position now.”