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Nov. 27, 2026 — FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem left Rwanda this week with a broader mission than celebrating an African Grand Prix. He also made clear that Formula 1's long-touted V8 revival is creeping toward the rulebook, with a formal technical framework for 2030 expected within months. But he stopped short of claiming a clean sweep, noting teams and power-unit manufacturers have yet to give the plan their full blessing.
Ben Sulayem's push is a direct counter to the hybrid-heavy engine formula that debuted this season. The current power units split combustion and electric energy almost evenly, which initially drew harsh reviews from drivers. Complaints ranged from "Mario Kart" style overtakes to a "Formula E on steroids" feel, with much of the action tied to battery discharge rather than pure driver skill. The FIA has already tried to fix the balance, shifting toward a 58/42 ratio in favor of the ICE in 2027 and a 60/40 split in 2028. For Ben Sulayem, that is not enough.
He wants the next cycle to be simpler and louder: a V8 that brings back the soundtrack F1 fans still associate with the sport's golden era. V8s were the standard until 2013, when the switch to turbocharged V6 hybrids changed the game. The MGU-H eventually disappeared, but the architecture remained heavy and expensive. In Ben Sulayem's mind, the 2030 regulations should cut that complexity, slash costs, and deliver a genuinely visceral machine.
Speaking to a small group of media during a roundtable, Ben Sulayem admitted the agreement is still some way off. "No, no, no, not yet," he responded when asked if teams and PUMs had signed off. "But it will be." His tone stayed playful, even when he floated a strange alternative: "If they don't take a V8, maybe a V16." The quip underlined his conviction that the simpler concept is the one suppliers will eventually back.
The FIA president described the ongoing consultation process as much broader than a headline proposal. Technical papers are now with the teams. Team principals and PUMs are reviewing them, and at least one driver has been asked for input. That, he argued, is how the sport gets from a nostalgic idea to a workable rule package.
"The consultation has been a lot," he said. "When you make it simpler, you make it half the price. R&D doesn't just go down by half, but the simplicity that comes with it means production can take less time." He pointed to materials as a hidden cost trap, explaining that power limits need policing. "Certain materials can be very expensive if you're trying to get those last few horsepower." The payoff, in his view, is obvious: better sound, lighter cars, and a package that doesn't require the same industrial mega-spend.
Lighter has its own complications, though. Ben Sulayem warned that a too-aggressive reduction in weight would create a competitive imbalance, because some teams would be forced to spend more to reach a strict minimum. "We have the cost cap being controlled," he said. "It's not just a case of going lighter and lighter. You need to go smaller, of course." That gives a glimpse of the philosophical shift he wants: shorter wheelbases, tighter packaging, and a machine that feels more like an old-school grand prix car.
He expanded on that theme by recalling recent trips to Retromobile in France and Le Mans, where he placed modern cars next to older examples. The visual difference was striking. "Every year, or every three years of that cycle, it gets bigger," he noted. "You don't remember what was there 15 or 20 years ago. But when you put them together, you see how big the car is now." In other words, the next generation should not just change the engine; it should change the silhouette of the car itself.
On timing, Ben Sulayem dismissed concerns that the FIA is cutting it too close. The current rules were locked in during 2022, giving suppliers three years to build their systems. His argument is that a V8 is a far less punishing engineering exercise. "That engine is very complex," he said of the 2026 unit. "You had the MGU-H, then it went to the MGU-K. You have a big battery, and it was the demand of the teams and the PUMs." A V8, by contrast, can be designed, tested, and approved in a cycle that is far more forgiving.
"I can tell you, engine builders know exactly how long it takes to build that type of engine," he continued. "If they come back, they will not approve only the technical data. They will also approve the time required." He also pointed to his own single-seater technical team, which he described as being fully capable of handing teams a realistic deadline. "They will not give the teams something that is simply not doable."
So is a V8 coronation inevitable? Not yet. The money already sunk into the current hybrid era is vast, and some manufacturers may resist another wholesale redesign so soon. But Ben Sulayem's public campaign is clearly building momentum. The combination of rising complaints about the current formula, escalating costs, and the appeal of a louder, lighter car gives him a powerful argument.
From an American perspective, this debate matters even more. V8 noise is what pulled many U.S. fans into the sport in the first place, and races like Austin and Miami have become showcases for that sound. A return to a V8 would give F1 a more theatrical on-track product at a time when the sport is trying to hold its new American audience. If the technical rules land in the coming months, it would set off a scramble among teams and engine suppliers to align their designs with a very different future.
For now, Ben Sulayem is comfortable letting the consultation do its work. "Of course, you push the teams and the PUMs to come back to you," he said. "And we will wait for them to come back to us." The next few months should reveal whether the V8 dream becomes the rulebook reality.
