What’s the future for F1 engines and why is it up for debate?

Christian Horner’s phone rang. Bernie Ecclestone was the culprit. Red Bull’s team principal picked up, switched to speakerphone and placed it on the table in front of the assembled Formula 1 bosses.

Horner told Ecclestone, “We’re in the F1 Commission.” Do you have anything to say to the audience?

F1’s former impresario, addressing the group that decides the sport’s rules, said they should go back to V10 engines. He then snorted.

The 15, 000-strong crowd booed both Horner and the FIA during the opening of F1’s season at the O2 Arena in London in February, according to several sources in the room at the time.

Two days later, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem – a man whose three-year tenure has been beset by controversy – posted a message on Instagram.

Ben Sulayem stated that while the FIA “must also lead the way on future technological motorsport trends,” he “looked forward” to the new chassis and engine regulations that will be implemented in 2026.

We should take into account the V10’s roaring sound when it runs on sustainable fuel in a variety of directions.

Next year, F1 is going through the biggest regulation change in the sport’s history, introducing new rules for both cars and engines.

F1 continues to use the 1 / 6 V6 turbo hybrids, which have been the foundation of the company’s engine architecture since 2014, but with a shift in the balance between electric and combustion power.

The hybrid’s overall power output is increasing from 20% to 50% right now. In addition, F1 is introducing sustainable fuels – abandoning fossil fuels in favour of synthetic fuel created from biomass and industrial processes.

Some have complained about the less loud, more dramatic sound produced by the naturally aspirated engines that followed them since the introduction of hybrid engines in 2014, particularly the 3. 5-litre V10s, which were last raced in Formula One in 2005.

In an unavoidable parallel with Ben Sulayem’s actions now, Ecclestone was the first person to bring this up, even before the 2014 engines first raced.

The V10 sound has a certain romanticism, as does the idea that those engines, with their ear-splitting shriek that could be heard farther away from the track, are more well-known among the fanbase than the current hybrids.

There is no denying that some people in F1 are in agreement. Lewis Hamilton said at the Chinese Grand Prix last weekend:” It is no secret that the V6 has never sounded great.

“I can recall the first time I attended an F1 race in 1996 in Spa, and Michael Schumacher entered Turn One with my ribs just vibrating. I was captivated by everything. It was the most amazing thing I felt and heard.

Ben Sulayem hasn’t been heard much since his enthusiastic support of the 2026 engine rules was publicized.

Under the previous FIA president Jean Todt, things were largely resolved, but wrangling was inevitable, and it finally settled after Ben Sulayem took office.

Two years ago, he said the new engines were” at the forefront of technological innovation, making the future of F1 more sustainable while maintaining the spectacular racing”.

Why did the U-turn occur, then?

Ben Sulayem has contacted Nikolas Tombazis, the F1 single-seater director, to investigate the situation.

Tombazis said that the advent of&nbsp, sustainable fuels could allow F1 to make the engines simpler and cheaper.

The FIA’s position has a lot of issues, according to senior F1 executives and car manufacturers involved in the sport.

Even though Donald Trump’s election as the leader of a government of climate deniers has given some pause in the US, the climate crisis is very real and the global road-car industry is on the verge of electrification.

Manufacturers take part in F1 fundamentally for marketing reasons, and the sport has been made more appealing by the introduction of a budget cap for cars and engines.

Due to the new engine regulations, Honda will remain in F1 in 2026, while Audi, Ford, and General Motors will all be doing so.

According to Audi, the new rules “weren’t a significant factor in Audi’s decision to enter Formula 1,” according to a statement it has already made in response to the most recent developments.

Mercedes says it is open to discussions but would need a hybrid element to be part of any new engine formula for it to remain interested.

Then there is the micro level.

A V10, why? No major road-car manufacturer uses them any more.

Mercedes claims that a V8 would make more sense if there was a change, given that they are still being developed for road use.

Why do so many performance road cars, from Audi RS6s or Mercedes AMG C63s to McLaren and Ferrari hypercars, use turbochargers for such compelling reasons?

Cost? Yes, a hybrid might be more affordable than a V10. However, the manufacturers have already financed the new engines by an estimated $400 million. They are not about to throw that away.

Additionally, hundreds of millions of dollars would need to be spent on developing a new V10.

? weight Yes, the hybrid engines make the cars heavier, largely because of the batteries needed. However, advances in safety, such as the halo head-protection device, account for the majority of the weight gain, which was 550kg or so in 2005 to now be about 800kg.

Additionally, in 2013, cars started battling with 160 kg of fuel. Now, it’s about 100kg and it’s expected to be about the same next year. A significant increase in fuel capacity and weight would result from returning to naturally aspirated engines.

sustainability ? The new fuels being introduced next year are not net-zero carbon. Sustainable fuels, in accordance with scientific guidelines, only slightly lower carbon emissions above 80%.

That’s a lot, really. But doubling the amount of fuel used by abandoning hybrid engines would mean a doubling of the carbon emissions produced by fuel.

Politics are a constant theme in F1.

Few people have heard about Ben Sulayem’s intervention after the O2 crowd booed when the FIA logo was displayed, despite the fact that few people knew about it.

This is an election year at the FIA, and some believe Ben Sulayem may have raised the idea of V10s because he thinks it will be popular with certain demographics who support him.

No candidates have so far endorsed him, but there are rumors that there is a strong contender waiting.

Despite this, F1 is reporting on the progress that the various manufacturers are making with their 2026 engines. And it seems that Mercedes are leading the way.

People are already claiming that a team’s Mercedes engine will only lead to a victory in 2026.

Although there is no proof of this, whispers are emerging exactly as they did in 2013 and were proven to be accurate when the hybrid engines made their debut the following year.

Even Horner acknowledges that “abandoning the rules would be” a significant departure from what is being worked on very hard for 2026,” while saying that “the concept of a V10 would be very exciting for the sport.

A U-turn for 2026 now would need support from the teams and manufacturers – and there is not a chance that enough of them would support that to get it through.

Under the condition of anonymity, a leading team manager claimed that there hadn’t been any discussions about this topic with the F1 stakeholders.

Adoption of engine rules takes time, years, and years.

It would probably be two years before a full agreement could be reached. The manufacturers would need to develop and construct the engines once more. which would make F1 obsolete by 2029. Which is only a year before the new rules are due to expire anyway.

What will 2031 look like, as one team boss once said, “I think this will all peter out, and it will just end up being that.” ” “

The FIA says:” There needs to be a consultation between all stakeholders to agree on a way forward, before we fully explore different scenarios.

Whatever direction is chosen, we must support the teams and manufacturers in ensuring cost control for R&amp, D expenditure and take environmental and sustainability into account.