Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has said that Formula 1 teams must ignore their ‘self interest’ and prioritise entertainment if the sport is going to continue to thrive.
Since his comments, the potential return of V10 engines has become a huge talking point, after FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem mentioned the historical power units on social media.
In a post on Instagram, Ben Sulayem said: “We should consider a range of directions including the roaring sound of the V10 running on sustainable fuel.”
Formula 1 will be entering a new era in 2026, with the aforementioned fully sustainable fuel combining with a more energy efficient V6 engine, but the latest developments have opened the door for a move back to V10s in 2031, once the five year cycle is complete.
Horner has confirmed that he supports the return of the V10 engines, and said that sustainable fuels allow the sport to responsibly bring back the sound of Grand Prix racing.
Horner warns against ‘engineering utopia’
It is no surprise that the Red Bull chief is all for the re-introduction of the much-loved V10 engines, as just a few weeks ago he told talkSPORT that Formula 1 has to entertain, and that teams have to think about the bigger picture.
Horner said: “This is ultimately person and machine at the absolute limit, it’s modern day charity racing, it’s got to entertain if there’s going to be a sport.
“We have a responsibility for what the sport is going to be in the future, and you have to decouple that from self-interest, and think about the bigger picture.
“There’s too much self-interest at the moment, we shouldn’t be driven down an engineering utopia, it still needs to be entertainment.”
Red Bull have dominated the sport since the sweeping regulation changes in 2022, but after a challenging pre season test, they could struggle to compete with the other top teams in 2025.
In 2026, we will see the first engine to come off the brand new Red Bull Powertrain’s dyno, and a switch to V10’s in the future could potentially benefit the Austrian team.
Wolff not interested in ‘opportunistic thoughts’
A move back to V10 engines would delight many fans, as for a lot of motorsport enthusiasts, the nostalgic sounds of the historic power unit is synonymous with a golden age of Formula 1.
However, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff feels that it is too early to be talking about 2031, and the focus should instead be on the new set of regulations.
“We should all be excited about these new regulations coming in next year,” said Wolff.
“We should be talking them up, it is important to have positivity about it that such an exciting motor comes into the car.
“So for all of us stakeholders, I think we should be really cheering for this, and less driven by opportunistic thoughts.”
Feature Image credit: @redbullracing on X
