Will V8 engines return to Formula 1 in the next decade? If the FIA president has his way, the answer is yes—David Coulthard supports the move, provided the plan is environmentally friendly
Until 2030, Formula 1 engine manufacturers can block a return to V8 engines, but starting in 2031, the way would be clear. That’s according to Mohammed bin Sulayem, president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA). David Coulthard supports the plan, provided the engine runs on zero-emission fuel.
“Here’s how I see it,” the Scot told Up To Speed. “He’s clearly taking a stance right now to deal with all the negativity over the next few years. But there’s this question of whether Formula 1 could have a naturally aspirated engine powered by biofuels, because we’re already that far along. It could have zero emissions, and you’d have something that’s 100 percent recyclable.”
Coulthard goes beyond just the fuel and even includes the engine block in his assessment: “You can take all these engine parts, shred them, melt them down, and then reuse them, which isn’t currently the case with electrification and when batteries reach the end of their life. So I don’t necessarily think that Formula 1 began its journey 76 years ago with the principle: ‘We’re going to do something that changes the planet.’”
V8 could become a reality
“I think it began with designers and engineers trying to build the most powerful and fastest cars on a racetrack, and then finding someone brave enough to put on a leather helmet, sit on a fuel tank, and drive out onto the track,” says the former Formula 1 driver.
FIA President bin Sulayem explains how the V8 could become a reality: “It’s coming. In 2031, the FIA will have the power to do it without any input from the PUMs [engine manufacturers]. Those are the regulations. But we want to bring it forward by a year, which is what everyone [on the outside] is now demanding.”
“If you try to tell them [the engine manufacturers], they say no, but what’s coming will come, and that power will return to the FIA. I’m aiming for 2030—one year before the regulations expire. It will happen.”
Buxton here on the FIA boss’s page
These are clear words that Formula 1 expert Will Buxton welcomes positively on Up To Speed, yet the Saudi’s leadership style still leaves a bitter aftertaste for him: “Listen, I’ve already said this publicly. There isn’t much about Mohammed bin Sulayem’s reign of terror that I’m particularly a fan of, but I am very much a fan of this because it brings us back to something the fans want, that the drivers want.”
“We’ve had so many discussions about the regulations this year, but that was always meant to be a short-term solution until this big thing happens in 2030/2031. And if it’s a return to proper engines—the kind that used to be our bread and butter—then I’m all for it.”