Horner has been active in F1 Commission and team principal meetings in suggesting that grand prix racing’s bosses need a rethink over plans for the 2026 cars.
In particular, he is concerned that engines running out of power on straights because batteries are not powerful enough, allied to cars that cannot compensate in performance terms, could hurt the show.
He is clear that, if the FIA does not get the chassis regulations spot on in working with the engines, then there is a risk of creating ‘Frankenstein’ cars.
But Horner’s stance has drawn scepticism from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who suggested that the complaints are being fuelled for selfish competitive reasons.
Wolff said: “I think what frightens him more maybe is that his engine programme is not coming along, and then maybe he wants to kill it [the rules] that way.
"So, you always have to question what's the real motivation to say something like that."
But Horner is far from impressed by what Wolff says, and has made it clear that his priority is in ensuring that F1 does not get things wrong as it finalises the 2026 rules package.
“Unfortunately, that's typically Toto, where he's just focused on self-performance,” said Horner, when asked about the remarks. "My interest is actually about the sport rather than self-gain.
“It is still way too early to say who's going to have a competitive or uncompetitive engine in 2026. For me, the most important thing is, from a sports point of view, that we all have a collective responsibility to work with the FIA and the commercial rights holder, to ensure that the product is as good as it can be. Otherwise, we've all failed.”
Source: Autosport