The sport is set to enter a new engine era in 2026, with revised 1.6-litre V6 hybrids that drop the MGU-H and run on fully sustainable fuels.
But Ben Sulayem, who first raised the idea earlier this year, has now reinforced that a shift back to simpler combustion engines — including a possible V8 revival — is firmly on the table for 2029.
“To us, the V8 is happening,” he told media at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix weekend.
“With the teams now, I’m very optimistic, [and] happy about it. FOM (Formula One Management) are supportive, the teams are realising it is the right way.”
The president made it clear that the current 1.6-litre turbo hybrid engines, introduced in 2014, are both excessively complex and financially unsustainable.
According to the FIA boss, current development costs are pushing $200 million USD ($307.2 million AUD) per manufacturer, while a single modern F1 power unit can cost upwards of $2 million USD ($3.07 million AUD).
“The current engine is so complicated, you have no idea, and it is costly,” Ben Sulayem said.
“R&D is reaching 200 million (dollars), and the engine is costing approximately 1.8 to 2.1, so if we go with a straight V8, let’s see.
“Many of the manufacturers produce V8s in their cars, so commercially it’s correct. How much is it? You drop it. The target is more than 50 percent in everything.”
Ben Sulayem said a return to V8 engines would offer a significant weight advantage and restore the louder engine sound many fans have missed, addressing long-standing criticism of the current power units for lacking the sport’s traditional roar.
“We need to do it soon… you need three years, so hopefully by 2029 we have something there, but the fuel is also very expensive, and we have to be very careful with that,” he said,
“Transmissions are very expensive. So, really, that is the way to go. It’s cutting costs.
“People think that Formula 1 is unlimited money, but not all the teams. So this is something now we are having the buy-in.”
Formula 1 used naturally aspirated V8 engines from 2006 to 2013, before switching to 1.6-litre turbo-hybrid V6 powertrains in 2014 as part of a broader push toward energy efficiency and road relevance.
While that change marked a major technological step and helped attract manufacturers like Honda, it also widened the performance gap between teams and made it harder for independents to compete.
The next evolution of that formula arrives next season, with the continued focus on hybrid power but an increased emphasis on electrification and fully sustainable fuels.
The 2026 regulations have already proven attractive to manufacturers. Audi, Ford, Honda, and General Motors have all committed to join or return under the new rules, enticed by a balance of innovation, sustainability, and global exposure.
But Ben Sulayem believes the sport must also look beyond that.
“Making the hybrid is one thing, but the combustion engine is where we also have to look,” he said.
“Is one team going to run away with it [next season]? That’s where the FIA has to be fair, because if newcomers enter, we have to embrace and protect them before we think of other new people coming.
“And if we do that, the key is to make it cheaper, and there are so many areas to make it cheaper, with fuel, and a single supplier for so many things that we have to look into because now the teams are realising that it [F1] is getting very expensive.”
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