LOL - Toto having a fun shot at Horner Would be interesting to know how its progressing along............ Wolff: 'Frightened' Horner's 2026 fears prompted by Red Bull F1 engine concerns Mercedes boss Toto Wolff suspects Christian Horner's concerns about Formula 1's 2026 rules have been triggered by him being 'frightened' that Red Bull's engine project is behind the curve.
Mark Hughes: Why upgraded rivals still can’t touch Red Bull Red Bull says it's barely developed its 2023 Formula 1 car all season. Its main rivals are throwing plenty of upgrades at theirs. So why is Red Bull still so far ahead? Here's Mark Hughes' assessment https://the-race.com/formula-1/mark-hughes-why-upgraded-rivals-still-cant-touch-red-bull/
Meanwhile, Joe Saward has visited the Red Bull Powertrains devision and was gobsmacked how far they are: I'm pretty sure Saward also was one of the first to claim that Merc's 2014 engine was something rather special back in around 2013... IMO F1 needs to seriously consider the entertainment side of the sport because to me the 2026 rules are more Formula E with an onboard generator. Weight also looks to increase, again. If Red Bull is accurate with their concerns it's even worse than I imagined. With sustainable fuels being a thing anyways, I really can't see any need for hybrid engines at all let alone the ones F1 proposed with even larger (read: heavier) batteries. Even the ''well manufacturers will abandon F1 if they can't develop engines that relate to their road cars" doesn't work here: F1 with the cost cap means the teams practically sustain themselves and for the manufacturers with the cost cap in mind, the brand exposure alone means it's dirt cheap advertising right now. IMO a more exciting engine (for arguments sake the V8 from the recent era, same style regs just slightly updated) in a car about the same size with 2023 aero regs and no DRS, I can't see viewership going down, the opposite in fact. So even more exposure, lower cost...teams themselves are worth stupid money as well so the bean counters will also be happy (Alpine valuation now is a billion) If the engine regs are crap for 2026, and especially if Saward is right and RBR has it absolutely correct...what will happen then? A boring engine formula and a team many claim to hate with a driver they hate equally winning all the things? F1 viewership will go down and the same bean counters might call for an end of manufacturers participation instead. That'll be a massive own goal.
Once again, Sergio Perez failed to reach the third and most important part of qualifying. While his teammate Max Verstappen captured his fifth consecutive pole, the Mexican was stuck in Q1 this time in position 16. Perez thus faces another catch-up race if he wants to grab important points for the constructors' championship. Verstauen showed at Silverstone how strong the Red Bull is in his hands, while Perez thus failed to exploit the car's potential at all for the fifth time in a row. "I don't know why it went wrong today, but with our car you should normally get into Q3," Verstappen told GPblog and others afterwards. The follow-up question was what does the Dutchman think the team thought of Perez's yet another non-performance? "You have to ask Helmut [Marko] or Christian [Horner] that,"Verstappen continued. He then said, laughing a little, "Of course we are fighting for the team championship too, but I think I can do that on my own at the moment. "
Marko: Perez 'needs to get a grip' on qualifying woes "It has always been a weakness of his. It just happens too often and he has to work on that. We're also going to work on it, because if one driver is in front and the other 16th, something isn't right." Perez's setbacks are inevitably sustaining the speculation regarding his future with Red Bull. But Marko once again dismissed the prospect of a change at the Milton Keynes-based outfit. "He is second in the standings and delivers good races, which distinguishes him from Nyck de Vries," said Marko. "At the moment there is no need to take action. There is also no one available to replace him."
This was said last race lol! Reset! Horner confident of Perez resurgence: 'He will do it in Budapest'
Maybe not Ferrari ?? Albon back to Red Bull? Albon made it to Q3 at Silverstone, while Perez dropped out in Q1. The other way around would be more accurate, given the material the drivers have. F1 expert Windsor sounds full of pity for Perez in a YouTube video: "It was really sad to see. He was in the bubble going into the final sprint in Q1. He went from P14 to P17, while Albon, after a lap time was deleted, went from P20 to P5 or P6." "So it was doable for a racer," Windsor continued. "I think Red Bull might well be looking at getting Albon back into their fold again. I also know there is interest from Red Bull's Thai co-owner. "
Horner delivers blow to Ricciardo’s hopes of ‘fairytale’ Red Bull return (crash.net) Christian Horner delivers blow to Daniel Ricciardo’s hopes of ‘fairytale’ full-time Red Bull F1 return
Red Bull makes 2nd move for Norris. Clearly see him as 2nd best driver in F1 currently and hope to sign him.
Zak needs to hit the gym and then hire Albon to be with Piastri. Not sure losing Norris is a real deep loss at all. The real headache will be for Horner lol.
I don't think Albon would be a good replacement for Norris. Beside, being half-Thai, the Red Bull main shareholder may soon claim Albon back in the team.
Red Bull is holding talks with both Norris and Leclerc to partner Max. First talks held with Leclerc back in May already.
There would be pros and cons in that partnership. Max and Charles have been rivals since their karting days. Max is very well established in the Red Bull organisation. That could be very entertaining to watch: the 2 fast drivers on the best car. I can see a Senna-Prost situation brewing here !
That's why I don't see it happening. Max has a history of clashing with drivers that can keep up with his pace, and Red Bull are unlikely to want to see their cars colliding on track again. Leclerc will stay at Ferrari, or move to Mercedes if Hamilton retires.
Sure. Until he gets a call from Marko after Spa! Perez 'couldn't care less' about speculation on F1 future
