FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem confirmed the governing body is studying whether refuelling should return if F1 presses ahead with plans to reintroduce cheaper and lighter V8 engines for the next power unit cycle.
The move is being explored as part of a wider push to simplify F1’s engine regulations after the current turbo hybrid era, with the sport expected to move towards a less complex V8 formula from 2031, or potentially 2030 if an agreement can be reached.
“The refuelling we are studying as we speak,” Ben Sulayem told British media over the British Grand Prix weekend.
“It’s not a concern if you do it in the right way. So we are studying this. Nothing is being done yet.
“Refuelling with sustainable fuel with electrification. Maybe we look at giving more electrification than 10 percent. Really, we are still open.”
Refuelling has been banned in F1 since the end of 2009, with safety, cost and sustainability concerns among the reasons behind its removal.
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Its possible return has emerged because naturally aspirated V8 engines would require more fuel than the current V6 turbo hybrids, potentially forcing teams to run larger fuel tanks and adding weight back into cars the FIA wants to make lighter.
Ben Sulayem has pushed for F1 cars to be dramatically lighter under the next rules, with the FIA targeting a reduction of up to 100kg.
That has created a debate over whether smaller tanks and refuelling stops could help protect those weight savings if the championship moves away from the current engine architecture.
The FIA is also considering a major shift in how teams source power units, with Ben Sulayem raising the prospect of an independent supplier providing an approved engine for teams that do not build their own.
Such a move would mark a significant change from the current customer model, where teams can buy engines from rival manufacturers.
Mercedes currently supplies McLaren, Williams and Alpine, while Ferrari supplies Haas and Cadillac, with Red Bull Ford Powertrains set up to supply both Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls.
Ben Sulayem suggested an FIA-selected independent engine could remove concerns over manufacturers holding influence over customer teams.
“There will be no control over the teams, A-team over the B-team, that’s supplied with their engines,” he said.
“If it is affordable, then we will have one engine for the rest of the B-teams, so nobody can leverage them and tell them to ‘vote this way, or we are not going to give you a good engine’.”
The FIA president said the governing body would need to retain control over the cost and neutrality of any independent supply.
“It will be an FIA-selected engine that would be allowed to the teams,” he said.
“Then we control the neutrality, we control the power and the money. We cannot just give it away and say go and do it to X, Y, Z. Prices might go up and down, but the FIA will always be the judge.”
The issue of customer team independence has become a growing talking point in F1, with McLaren CEO Zak Brown among those to have raised concerns about technical and ownership alliances in the paddock.
Brown has previously questioned the relationship between Red Bull and Racing Bulls, while the possibility of manufacturers having leverage through engine supply deals has also been highlighted.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has also spoken favourably about the idea of a “white label” engine option, arguing it would give the championship greater flexibility if manufacturer priorities change.
A lower-cost independent engine supply would represent a return to a model more common in earlier F1 eras, when specialist suppliers were able to provide engines without the same level of manufacturer dependency created by the current turbo hybrid rules.
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