Formula 1 cars coulda had a V8 this year, but the series opted to keep V6s around as its new regulations split power 50/50 between internal combustion and electricity, but the fans and drivers aren’t into it.
The sound of the new hybrid units and type of racing they have produced, which requires drivers to juggle between the two power sources, have not been well received.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has now confirmed to Reuters that Formula 1 will be bringing V8 engines back as soon as poissible.
“It’s coming. At the end of the day, it’s a matter of time,” he said on the sidelines of the Miami Grand Prix.
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“In 2031, the V8, the FIA will have the power to do it, without any votes from the PUMs (Power Unit Manufacturers). That’s the regulations. But we want to bring it one year earlier, which everyone now is asking for.”
Formula 1 management can change the rules unilaterally in 2031, but the PUMs can vote to change them in 2030 if just four of the six agree. They are Audi, Ferrari, Honda Mercedes-Benz, Red Bull Ford and Cadillac, the last of which is scheduled to launch its first power unit it 2029. The series last used a V8 formula from 2006 to 2013.
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Formula 1 will continue to use the “sustainable” fuel introduced this year, but will cut back on how much power is provided by batteries.
“You get the sound, less complexity, lightweight,” Ben Sulayem said. “You will hear about it very soon and it will be with a very, very minor electrification.”
“I’m positive, they want it to happen. But let’s say the manufacturers don’t approve it (for 2030). The next year, it will happen. In 2031 its done anyway. It will be done. V8 is coming.”
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