This is good news for all motorsport fans: Formula 1 is returning to V8 engines. The FIA intends to make the transition in 2031, but it could happen earlier if the teams and manufacturers, including Audi from this year, want it.
According to Reuters, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said at the Miami Grand Prix: "It will happen. Ultimately it is only a matter of time." The FIA wants a simpler and less complex power unit than the currently used 1,6-liter V6 hybrid.
AUDI F1 – photo: HB Press
“With a V8 engine you get the sound, less complexity and low weight,” added Ben Sulayem – and the FIA wants to bring back the eight-cylinder engine as early as 2030. This requires the agreement of the manufacturers, which, according to the FIA president, “everyone is asking for now”. And even if there is no majority for it, he remains optimistic: “I am optimistic, they want it to happen. But let’s say the manufacturers do not agree. Next year it will happen. In 2031 it will definitely be sorted out. It will come true. The V8 is coming.”
Ben Sulayem said that we will learn more about the new power unit “very soon”; at the same time, he already revealed that the V8 will have “a very small degree of electrification”. This should significantly contribute to improving the current concept of the series: for the 2026 season, new hybrid powertrains have been introduced, which are betting heavily on electrification.
The result is a caricature of the very top category of motorsport, in which racers are forced to drive much slower than they would otherwise in order to recharge their batteries. Most F1 racers are extremely disappointed and express this clearly.
Lando Norris, the 2025 Formula 1 world champion, has called the 2026 cars the worst in Formula 1 history. Harsh criticism also comes from the driver himself Red Bulland four-time world champion Max Verstappen. The Dutchman described the current situation as “Formula E on steroids” and explained that anyone who likes it doesn’t understand real racing. After the Chinese Grand Prix, he said: “It’s not fun at all. It’s like playing Mario Kart. This isn’t racing!”
