According to Christian Horner, the 2026 regulations will not be postponed and will come into effect starting from the next season.
For about a month now, rumors, more or less grounded, have been circulating about the possibility of a delay or even a cancellation of the new regulations, which are set to come into effect next season. The issues encountered with the PU (Power Units) development and the romantic idea of returning to the V10 engines have shifted the focus to a possible postponement of the new regulations, but as of today, there do not seem to be any solid grounds to realistically make it happen.
also weighed in on the matter Christian Horner effectively confirming the new regulations will come into effect starting from the next season. Here are his statements on the subject: “I see some possible limitations regarding the spectacle and the races. We have ended up in a situation where the chassis has to significantly compensate for the shortcomings between electrification and combustion. But in any case, as they say, it’s ten past midnight, and Cinderella has already left the ball. The V10 is romantically hugely attractive, but for how long? What’s the plan on the table? Moving away from what we’re working on for 2026 would be a huge shift.”
In agreement with Red Bull‘s team principal, there is also Oliver Oakes (Alpine’s team principal). Here are his words: “The train has already left the station for 2026. I think a later date will be set, but we are already far enough along for next year. “. Zak Brown took a more diplomatic stance: “We’re happy and ready to race with any regulations. A V10 with sustainable fuel would be fantastic. But I don’t see how we can unwind something that’s already in motion. Audi is coming, Alpine has turned to Mercedes. You can’t put the genie back in the bottle.”