There is growing excitement within Formula One about the potential returns of the V10 engine. The sound of that roar is part of the history and identity of the sport.
However, appeals from senior F1 paddocks, including FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who would consider returning a loud engine that was recently used 20 years ago, also raised questions.
What will happen tentatively if a simpler, larger, cheaper V10 engine runs on fully sustainable fuel and brings the design of a smaller, lighter car, is introduced in the coming years? And how will that affect the impending power unit changes scheduled for 2026?
F1 stakeholders are working on the 2026 engine rules and have maintained the V6 hybrid base of the power unit for years. Since approval in the summer of 2022, the Ruleset has encouraged Audi, Ford (via Red Bull) and General Motors to join the grid, and has encouraged Honda to reverse the resignation thanks to the sport's commitment to fully sustainable fuel and greater electrification. For Audi and Red Bull, the development of their new engine programme required huge investment and adoption, bumping into hundreds of millions of dollars.
These rules were intended to cover the five-year cycle from 2026 to the end of 2030. But do they happen at all?
In the selected media round table containing Athletic, On Sunday, Shanghai determined that Nicholaston Basis, the FIA's single-seater director, helping to shape future rules for Formula 1, was on two questions to discuss future engine regulations.
The first relates to the long-term direction of the sport and whether F1 wants a different type of power unit over the next three or four years. “If the answer to that is yes, (it) we want to change something, question 2 is, 'What will we do during the intervention period?'” Tonbajis said. That period will start next year.
“The first thing I want to say in 2026 is, in any case, whether it's staying with current regulations or whether it's already approved new regulations, I think Formula One is in a good place,” Tombajis said. “I don't want it to be seen as 'OK, I'm in panic around 2026'. Because it's far from reality. ”
On Friday in China, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner argued that next year's rules have “limitations” as “the drawbacks of electrification and combustion splitting” leaning towards power units, along with the new power units. These “limitations” are related to consistent performance issues across the grid and can affect competition and race quality.
However, Tombazis said he and the broader FIA did not share what they called the “Scarémon Geling” view that raised about the potential impact of the 2026 regulations on the race.
“I think we can race each other closely, fight each other, use driver skills and more,” Tombazis said. “Essentially, I don't think I'm sharing a panic story. It reminds people that the 22 regulations have a panic story about how cars slow.” This was when F1 last made a major overhaul of aerodynamic regulations, but this wasn't the size of 2026 when both the car's design and power units were changed.
“I'm not saying everything is perfect,” Tombajis said of the changes in 2022. “You can benefit from hindsight that we would have done differently, but I don't think it was that disaster.”
Changes to plans for next year will depend on the position of all engine manufacturers. With already invested investments and efforts, Sports quoted Horner, saying, “At just 10 midnight, Cinderella had left the building.”
Tombazis agreed that “trains left the station significantly” in 2026, but talks about the “tentative” period, in the wake of FIA president Ben Sulayem, noted that it calls for a rating of future switching to the V10.
Tombazis added that the FIA does not want to impose changes that would make it impossible for teams to compete. “We're not just the majority,” he said. “We're trying to build a consensus here. If that fails, we'll stay where we are (with our existing 2026 plan).”
If F1 power unit manufacturers feel it would be better to shelve the '26 engine due to potential negative effects on the sport – if “Scarmongering” was serious and concerns were widely shared, the mechanisms present could lead to the status quo with the current specifications of the power unit, a provisional solution that could return to the v10s.
But that leads to other major knock-on effects and issues, given that Audi and Red Bull powertrain/Ford are not producing V6 hybrid engines due to current regulations. Other existing manufacturers have shifted all their development to future engines. This makes it seem unlikely that you'd think of changing your engine plan for next year.
Horner told reporters in China on Sunday that he would be “very surprised” if existing rules continued next year. “I think all the teams are all in '26 at this point,” Horner said. “So you need to understand what it is,” he also denied Red Bull wanting a delay in the new rules, saying it was “ready and ready for 26 years.”
Totowolf, the principal of the Mercedes team, had little thought about the possibility that the changes in 2026 were not progressing.
“It's all going to be good,” he told reporters, calling the change a “exciting adventure” for the F1 grid.
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolf (Fadelsena/AFP via Getty Images)
“This is where we need to emphasize,” Wolf said. “This is something we should support and talk about.
An Audi spokesperson issued a statement stating that future rules changes and power unit designs are “a key factor in Audi's decision to enter Formula One. Regulations on these power units reflect the same technological advancements that drive the innovation of Audi's road cars. German manufacturers have established their own F1 engine programs and purchased all Sauber teams based on these rules.
Assuming that it goes as planned in 2026, as most would expect, the wind is currently blowing towards a shorter cycle from the original five years to change the power unit formula.
The desire for a long-term game plan is shared by advanced players across the paddock. That means it will be a hot topic in the coming months. The positions of various power unit manufacturers could be affected by the relative competitive rankings in political battles next year. If one team produces the best power units and has difficult advantages to overcome, it is natural to protect them and kick the regulatory change as much as possible in the future, and its rivals will try to fight back.
It's strange to throw them out early given the 2026 engine rules were announced in 2022, and how the credits given were praised when new major manufacturers joined the grid. However, Tombazis felt that two major factors caused a change in stance. First, he cited the perceptions of manufacturers regarding the adoption of electrification across the automotive industry, given the slower consumer interest.
“When we had these debates in 2020, 2021, this trend was pretty definitive in the direction of electrification,” he said. “I'm not saying that it's not happening, but it certainly has changed the views of participants.”
He also highlights the cost of making power units, acknowledging that the current design is “too expensive.” When the 2026 rules were announced, improved cost management was announced as one of their benefits, but Tombazis said their costs were a consideration.
“Even if Formula One becomes extremely healthy financially, it's also important to protect it from global economic fluctuations. And while we're taking these protective measures, I think it's ideal, not when the sun is shining and the rain starts to fall,” he said. “It is important to consider your willingness to reduce costs.
“All of these are things we dream of without trying to properly respect all participants.”
Wolf said Mercedes was “always open” to a variety of engine solutions, but F1 had to consider what fans wanted, as well as whether their opinions had changed in a shift towards a younger and more diverse fan base than in the past. For those who have come to the sport through “Drive to Survive,” the sound of the V6 hybrid is everything they know.
“We need to set all of this as questions,” Wolf said. “What is the purpose of future regulatory changes in the next few years? Let's analyze it based on the data and reach a conclusion for the best of our sport.
“This is because it's the most important denominator that wants to have the best product for the FIA, Formula One, the team and the fans.”
(Photo above: Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images)
