The FIA is in talks with Formula 1 teams and engine manufacturers about introducing a new V10 engine formula, possibly as early as 2028.
Earlier this year, the FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said the governing body was considering a cheaper and simpler engine formula for the future, “including the roaring sound of the V10 running on sustainable fuel.”
For 2026, F1 cars are set to be powered by V6 turbo hybrids with a 50/50 split of electric and internal combustion power, which has also necessitated all new chassis and aerodynamic regulations.
The ultra-efficient 2026 power units were intended to be in place for five years until the end of 2030, but Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA’s head of single seaters, said discussions are underway about the possibility of switching to V10s run on sustainable fuel in a shorter timespan.
“Certainly, the progress with sustainable fuels has led to the view that maybe the engines could be simpler,” Tombazis said. “The world economy does lead to views that maybe we should try to cut costs a bit more, and the current power units are way too expensive, that is a fact.
“We would like them to be cheaper. And that’s why the president made the comments about a V10 engine in ’28 and so on. And that’s something we are evaluating for ’29 or whatever with the PU manufacturers. And we are discussing openly with them the best direction for the sport.”
The possibility of an early switch to V10s has led to suggestions F1 might abandon its 2026 formula entirely and continue with the current power units in the intervening period to save development costs.
Such a move seems incredibly unlikely, however, not least because it would require unanimous agreement from power unit manufacturers and teams, all of which have committed resources to the new regulations.
What’s more, Audi, which will enter F1 in 2026, has developed its F1 power unit to the 2026 regulations and would not have an alternative to meet the current regulations, while Red Bull’s two teams, which are switching to their own power units built in conjunction with Ford for 2026, would also be without an engine supply.
Tombazis said the question over 2026 would be addressed once a decision had been made on F1’s longer-term engine formula, and stressed that it would only be made with the agreement of power unit manufacturers and teams.
“The right way round to go about it is: do we want three or four years later to go to a different type of power unit? That’s question number one that looks after the long-term of the sport,” Tombazis said.
“If the answer to that is yes, we want to change something, then question number two is what we do in the intervening period. That is a secondary question compared to the primary question.
“That is just where people’s opinions have perhaps overtaken themselves. The proposal isn’t so much anything to do with 2026, the focus is what we do long-term. What I want to say at the start about 2026 is that either way, whether we stay with the current regulations or whether we do the already approved new regulations, I think Formula 1 would be in a good place either way.
“I don’t want it to be seen as sort of OK we are panicking about 2026, because that is far from reality.”
A switch to V10 engines would represent a major U-turn for F1, which decided to pursue increased electrical power in order to convince Audi to join the grid and persuade Honda to stay. While high-revving V10 engines would likely be welcomed by fans, Tombazis said the driving force behind the new proposal was to cut costs and simplify the engine formula.
“I think a significant factor is the perception, even amongst OEMs, about the speed at which electrification will happen,” Tombazis said. “This is a significant factor, we can’t deny it.
“Back in 2020, 2021, when these discussions [about the 2026 engines] were had, the trend was pretty decisively in the direction of electrification. I’m not saying that’s not happening, but certainly the views of the participants, have changed since then.
“The second thing is that I think it has become — even if Formula 1 is in very good health financially — it has become important also to protect it against world economy fluctuations, and I think we need to take these protective measures while the sun is shining and not when it starts raining, ideally.
“The drive to cut costs is important to consider. All of these things are not things we would dream of doing without trying to respect of all of the participants properly.”
