It's Official: V8 Engines Are Coming Back To F1
For many Formula 1 fans, their biggest gripes with the sport stem from two issues: a lack of overtakes and a lack of theater. Much of that theater comes from the cars themselves, especially in previous decades when massive, high-powered, high-revving gas engines delivered an unbeatable aural experience at the pinnacle of motorsport. Hybridization and smaller V6 engines brought an end to that, though according to The Drive, only temporarily. FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem confirmed to the outlet that V8 engines would return to the sport.
The switch comes as a result of three main factors: the experience fans want, cost, and weight. Technology has changed since the 2013 start of the sport's vision for today's turbocharged, hybrid cars. “I believe that for the sake of the sustainability of the business—the cost, the efficiency, the lighter weight, the sound for the fans—I think [the V8] ticks many boxes,” Ben Sulayem said. “The MGUH was, at the time, the future, but now it’s not. Now we’re using the MGUK, with the battery with a turbo and 1.6-liter, but it is such a complicated engine, and a very expensive engine for R&D, and also for the sale of an engine [to a customer team]. But if you make it simple, others can afford it.”
V8s will still use some hybridization, but new sustainable fuels enable larger, cheaper engines that deliver on the sound and feel F1 fans want. “You don’t want it to be over 15,500 to 16,000 rpm,” for the V8s, said the FIA President. “Once you go there, the frequency is really annoying, so we have to be responsible. But even if you allow them to reach higher rpm, it’s not about the noise adaptation of the sound. It’s more than that, it’s the price [of development] will just jump, because then you are after that refinement, which is very expensive." Much of the car's power will be derived from the engine, asserted Ben Sulayem. “It will be that [a 10% to 20% electric power split], it’s not more than that."
First, four of F1's six powertrain manufacturers (Mercedes-AMG, Ferrari, Honda, Audi, Red Bull Ford, and Alpine Racing) have to approve it. If they don't, be it because of cost or any other reason, the FIA will force the change to V8s for 2031. Ben Sulayem is targeting 2030 instead. He says it will push teams to build the cheaper engines themselves, increasing competition in the standings on race days. Sustainability is still part of the equation, and Ben Sulayem believes that the benefits of sustainable fuels should net the sport the best of both worlds, allowing it to meet its climate obligations and please its fans and drivers.