F1 Says V8 Engines Are Back On The Menu

Home News Motorsport F1 Says V8 Engines Are Back On The Menu

Series executives say V8s could return as soon as 2030.

Photo by: Audi Anthony Alaniz By: Anthony Alaniz May 5, at 3:00pm ET

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The Breakdown:

V8 engines could return to Formula 1 as soon as 2030.
The FIA wants to ditch the V6 hybrids for V8s.
The FIA has the power to implement the change in 2031.

Great news: Formula 1 is switching back to V8 engines. The sport’s governing body will implement the change in 2031, but it could happen sooner if powertrain manufacturers want it to.

According to Reuters, at the Miami Grand Prix, International Automobile Federation (FIA) President Mohammed Ben ‌Sulayem said, "It's coming. At the end of the day, it's a matter of time." The FIA wants a simpler and less complex power unit than the 1.6-liter V6 hybrid currently in use.

Audi F1 R26

Photo by: Audi

"You get the sound, less complexity, lightweight" with a V8, Ben Sulayem added, and the FIA wants the engine to return in 2030. This requires a vote by the manufacturers, which “everyone is now asking for,” according to the FIA president. And even if they don’t vote for it, he’s quite confident, saying:

‘I'm positive, they want it to happen. But let's say the manufacturers don't approve it. The next year, it will happen. In 2031, it’s done anyway. It will be done. V8 is coming.’

Ben Sulayem said we will learn more about the new power unit “very soon,” but he has already revealed the V8s will have “very minor electrification.” This should go quite far toward improving the current pace of the sport, which, for the 2026 season, introduced new hybrid powertrains that rely heavily on electrification.

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Motor1’s Take: This is great news for anyone who has despised the V6 hybrid era. The push toward making electrification a more integral part of the powertrain has not improved the racing this season, and we expect manufacturers to be eager for a return to simpler power units.

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