V10 'Romanticist' Christian Horner Reveals What Happened at the Engine Meeting in Bahrain

The FIA held a meeting in Bahrain during the race weekend to discuss the potential return of V10 engines, and in the aftermath of the summit, Red Bull boss Christian Horner spoke about what was discussed behind closed doors.

In recent months, rumors and buzz about the return to louder, more powerful engines have been circulating, leading to FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem calling a major summit with all the teams' officials and power unit suppliers.

Some of the proposed measures include extending the current engine regulations through 2027, allowing power unit suppliers the time they need to transition to a new type of engine.

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After Free Practice on Friday, Christian Horner lifted the curtain on what was discussed and proposed.

Horner revealed that the 2026 regulations remain set in stone, though discussions are occurring about what a 2028 power unit should look like.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner on the meeting which took place between all the teams and the FIA about a potential return for V10 engines to F1 in the future:

"A meeting was called by the FIA. It was a very cordial, productive meeting. #BahrainGP #RedBullRacing #F1 pic.twitter.com/bCnb5rSRto
— Lucho Yoma (@LucianoYoma) April 11, 2025

"I think it's a fact-finding mission at the moment," Horner told the media

"It's now down to the manufacturers, the PU manufacturers, to feed back to the FIA."

"They're gaining all their information and then it'll progress from there."

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He expressed confidence about what is coming in 2026, though he would "absolutely" welcome the arrival of V10 or V8 engines.

"I think the romanticist in me, a screaming V10 could be really attractive for Formula 1, but it's got to be done responsibly and with electrification as well," he said.

The discussion touched on several elements of the future engine formula, including the potential cost of the power unit itself and what role sustainable fuels will play.

Eventually, the meeting addressed the new engine suppliers entering the grid next season, who will need time to prepare the racing teams and develop their capabilities.

"I think inevitably, when you get a big regulation change, there is performance divergence, and that is almost certain to happen next year," he said.

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"Again, one of the topics on the agenda to talk about this morning was how quickly can there be convergence?"

"We have a budget cap, perhaps the engines don't need homologating."

"Perhaps you're able to upgrade your engines under that budget cap that everybody has the same to encourage convergence as quickly as possible, because I think we all want to have close-quarter racing, not a repeat of what we had in 2014."

No decision made on V10 return in F1 after FIA meeting, sources have told ESPN
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) April 11, 2025

"Audi are arriving. Honda decided to stay. They surely said, why on earth are we doing this?"

"Hundreds of billions of pounds worth of engine, and Cadillac will surely say, well, we're not going to bother now."

"Is it because people are fearful they just can't get their act together for next year?"

"I think, first of all, all of those names probably agree on the convergence and having that ability, particularly for the newcomers to be able to catch up."

The 2026 season is going to be a seismic shift, regardless of what the teams agree on. Any changes to the engine regulations will require at least four of the engine suppliers to approve any ideas.

According to what has been revealed about the meeting, 2026 will feature hybrid V-6 power units with an intriguing formula that includes half electric power and half conventional power based on renewable fuels.