So Is F1 Going Back To V8s Or What?

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff confirmed to Motorsport.com that the sport’s engine manufacturers have mostly agreed to reintroduce a simpler, higher-revving V8 engine, but he stressed the financial demands of changing regulations in close succession make a switch before 2031 unworkable.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been aggressive about accelerating the new ruleset, pushing for lightweight, lower-cost V8 engines with hybrid assistance as soon as 2029. But that timeline would mean just three years of running the heavily revised hybrid units scheduled to debut in 2026. Formula 1 has been using the current 1.6L turbo-hybrid V6 powertrains since 2014.

The manufacturers balked, arguing that an early change would undermine the massive investments they’ve already made in the 2026–2030 formula. Mercedes and Ferrari signaled they could support introducing the new engines in 2030, but no earlier. Newcomers Audi and Honda were particularly against any change before 2031.

“The V8 was the best consensus,” Wolff told the media during the Italian Grand Prix weekend. “It’s naturally aspirated, high-revving, aligned with sustainable fuel, and has an energy recovery system as a performance differentiator. But no one wants to run a dual-cost program and develop another engine just two years from now.”

The good news is it sounds like all the engine manufacturers—Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda, Audi, Red Bull’s partner Ford, and Cadillac—are united on the long-term direction of F1's engine formula, but are unwilling to invest in two engine formulas at the same time.

For now, the V8 era looks set for a comeback—but fans will likely have to wait until at least 2031 to hear those screamers return to the grid.

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