diff --git a/lib/config/validation.spec.ts b/lib/config/validation.spec.ts
index 7a480fbc0d73a345eca0f14ab7910f0df0f90784..7e564265a2bc20c69740ea2d14f1b3a92e7dd09d 100644
--- a/lib/config/validation.spec.ts
+++ b/lib/config/validation.spec.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import * as httpMock from '../../test/http-mock';
 import type { RenovateConfig } from './types';
 import * as configValidation from './validation';
 
@@ -630,24 +629,7 @@ describe('config/validation', () => {
 
     it('validates preset values', async () => {
       const config = {
-        extends: ['config:base', ':pinVersions', 42] as never,
-      };
-      const { warnings, errors } = await configValidation.validateConfig(
-        config,
-        true
-      );
-      expect(warnings).toHaveLength(0);
-      expect(errors).toHaveLength(1);
-    });
-
-    it('validates if presets exist', async () => {
-      httpMock
-        .scope('https://registry.npmjs.org')
-        .get('/renovate-config-doesntExist')
-        .reply(500);
-
-      const config = {
-        extends: ['config:base', 'doesntExist'] as never,
+        extends: ['foo', 'bar', 42] as never,
       };
       const { warnings, errors } = await configValidation.validateConfig(
         config,
diff --git a/lib/config/validation.ts b/lib/config/validation.ts
index e33ac92bae0295be13752fe94ef4daf8d7a1061a..a9ba6d08d85c34f5c013be2585839adfe25b7b7a 100644
--- a/lib/config/validation.ts
+++ b/lib/config/validation.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import is from '@sindresorhus/is';
-import { logger } from '../logger';
 import { getLanguageList, getManagerList } from '../modules/manager';
 import { configRegexPredicate, isConfigRegex, regEx } from '../util/regex';
 import * as template from '../util/template';
@@ -9,7 +8,7 @@ import {
 } from '../workers/repository/update/branch/schedule';
 import { migrateConfig } from './migration';
 import { getOptions } from './options';
-import { getPreset, resolveConfigPresets } from './presets';
+import { resolveConfigPresets } from './presets';
 import type {
   RenovateConfig,
   RenovateOptions,
@@ -272,18 +271,6 @@ export async function validateConfig(
             if (key === 'extends') {
               for (const subval of val) {
                 if (is.string(subval)) {
-                  try {
-                    await getPreset(subval, config);
-                  } catch (err) {
-                    logger.debug(
-                      { err, preset: subval },
-                      `Could not resolve preset during config validation`
-                    );
-                    errors.push({
-                      topic: 'Configuration Warning',
-                      message: `Invalid Preset ${subval}`,
-                    });
-                  }
                   if (
                     parentName === 'packageRules' &&
                     subval.startsWith('group:')