Ben Sulayem: F1 should consider return to V10 engines on e-fuels

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem thinks Method 1 ought to at the least contemplate switching again to V10 engines sooner or later, operating on sustainable gasoline.

F1 is switching to totally artificial gasoline from subsequent 12 months as a part of its change in engine method, which is able to function a near-50/50 cut up between output from a V6 inner combustion engine and a extra highly effective MGU-Ok electrical motor, growing the reliance on electrical power in comparison with present powertrains.

That transfer aimed toward drawing extra producers into the collection, with Audi becoming a member of from 2026 and Cadillac additionally planning to develop in-house energy items from 2028 for its nascent outfit that joins as an eleventh growth staff subsequent 12 months. After F1’s newest hybrid guidelines had been finalised, Honda additionally made a U-turn on its earlier resolution to depart the collection, though F1 is ready to lose Renault as a works producer.

However with F1 now dedicated to utilizing much less polluting artificial fuels as a part of its objectives to realize a net-zero carbon footprint by 2030, some wish to see F1 return to screaming V10 engines, which had been final utilized by the whole grid in 2005.

FIA president Ben Sulayem has now additionally urged going again to a V10 on sustainable fuels is one thing that ought to at the least be checked out when the governing physique and its stakeholders outline F1’s future engine method past the one which might be launched subsequent 12 months.

“This week’s F1 launch in London has triggered plenty of optimistic dialogue on the way forward for the game,” the governing physique’s president wrote on social media. “Whereas we sit up for the introduction of the 2026 rules on chassis and energy unit, we should additionally paved the way on future technological motorsport tendencies.

“We should always contemplate a variety of instructions together with the roaring sound of the V10 operating on sustainable gasoline. Whichever route is chosen, we should assist the groups and producers in making certain value management on R&D expenditure.”

It echoes feedback from F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, the place he urged he would additionally wish to discover which alternate options to the present hybrid energy items are viable throughout the business.

“If sustainable gasoline is doing the proper job to be zero emission and we’re taking the purpose of sustainability in the proper method – possibly we do not want anymore to be so sophisticated or so costly by way of engine improvement,” Domenicali informed Motorsport.com final August.

“So we might imagine to return to engines which can be a lot lighter and possibly with a great sound.”

Returning to V10s could be a well-liked transfer amongst old-school followers who miss the screaming soundtrack of a bygone period, however what is going to actually matter is whether or not F1’s present and potential producers are onboard, which seems extremely unlikely at this stage. It was in the end an even bigger reliance on the electrical element that made it via for 2026.

Whereas there was a giant push behind e-fuels, they continue to be costly and inefficient in comparison with electrical and hybrid fashions, and OEMs concerned in F1 have but to specific any want to maneuver away from a hybrid method.

Paddy Lowe, the founding father of Zero Petroleum – a carbon-neutral artificial gasoline firm – additionally felt dropping hybrids could be a non-starter within the close to future.

“I’ve seen that concept for very very long time, truly, and there is a component of that [vision] within the formation of our firm Zero,” the previous Mercedes and Williams engineer mentioned a couple of return to V10s on a current episode of the James Allen on F1 podcast.

“[But] Method 1 is a hybrid method at present, that’s truly an excellent resolution for mainstream automotive, I believe.”