Return of V8 engines, it’s a matter of time
Mohammed Ben Sulayem outlines the path for the future of Formula 1, and with very important statements he reiterated the intention to bring back in the next generation of engines the V8s, already protagonists from 2006 to 2013. This is a hypothesis that has been circulating for some time, and which the FIA president himself has advocated in the past, but on which no other prominent name had spoken out.
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Also fueling this scenario was the heated debate around the current power units, criticized for their complexity and for the equal split between thermal and electric components, considered by many too costly (despite the elimination of the MGU-H) and heavy, less effective and even less spectacular, to the point of forcing F1 to take action after just three GPs. For this reason, Ben Sulayem hypothesizes the early end of the current power unit cycle – from 2031 to 2030 – while he is sure that at the latest within five years we will see turbocharged V8s running on sustainable fuel on track.
Ben Sulayem’s words
“The return of V8 or V10 engines is coming. After all, it’s just a matter of time. In 2031, the FIA will have the power to do it, without needing any vote from engine manufacturers. But I aim to bring it forward to 2030, which everyone is now asking us for. When we try to tell the engine manufacturers, they say no (Audi and Honda certainly opposed, ed) but what must happen will happen,” this was Ben Sulayem’s comment in Miami. “The manufacturers want it to happen, but even if they voted against the introduction in 2030, it would happen in 2031. It’s not a question of whether it needs their support. It will happen, the V8s will come.”
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“The easiest engine to manage is the V8. It offers a nice sound, it’s less complicated and it’s light. You will hear about it very soon: electrification will be really minimal, the ratio won’t be like now, which is 46-54,” he added. “You see it in road cars from Ferrari, Mercedes, Audi, Cadillac and it’s found in most manufacturers, it allows making a light car.”
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