F1 demand grows for screaming V10s to return — shading next year's new hybrids
F1
Red Bull boss Christian Horner added his support to the idea of V10 engines to Formula 1 in the next decade. But others worry that the growing clamour will overshadow the next generation of hybrids due to race in 2026
David Coulthard lights up the rear tyres with V10 power at the 2004 Italian GP
Could Formula 1 really return to V10 power in 2031 after an absence of 26 years? Not so long ago that idea seemed like an impossibility, so wedded were the sport’s decision makers to the concept of hybrid turbos.
The general consensus has long been that we need them to keep the manufacturers on board as they reflect the general direction of the wider car industry, and to help to justify their investments in F1.
However even before the products of the 2026-‘30 regulations have been seen in action questions are being asked about whether the sport is really taking the right direction – and the suggestion is that a focus on sustainable fuel could help to justify a step back to normally aspirated engines.
It’s not just about the power unit technology, but also the fundamental nature of F1. Since the first 2014 cars took to the track the dull sound of hybrid engines has been a major talking point, and while they have got better, a whole generation has come to the sport in the Drive to Survive era without knowing what the screaming atmo engines used to sound like, unless they catch a demo by a historic car.
In addition the hybrid cars have proved to be big and heavy, thanks to the amount of kit they have to carry. The minimum weight has increased over the years, often because of new safety requirements. While there are some tweaks for 2026 the cars won’t be that much smaller or lighter than current models. The only way to make a real change would be to start afresh.
Fernando Alonso was the last driver to win the world championship with V10 power — in 2005
Grand Prix Photo
V10s are on the agenda once again mainly because the subject was raised by F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali at a meeting of the F1 Commission. The thrust of his argument was that the sport has to plan for the long-term, and be prepared for the possibility of the manufacturers pulling out – and that simpler rules would be a benefit, in that they’d open the door for suppliers such as Cosworth.
Whether a change of future rules would encourage the current manufactures to stay or to leave is another question.
The sport is thriving at the moment. Renault might be stopping its in-house PU programme, but current suppliers Ferrari, Mercedes and Honda will be joined in 2026 by Audi and Red Bull/Ford, with Cadillac scheduled to arrive a couple of years after that.
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However, Domenicali has been around long enough to know that these things happen in cycles, and we had a difficult period in 2008-‘9 when Honda, BMW and Toyota all pulled out.
It was FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem who after the F1 Commission discussion put the V10 debate front and centre in a statement he made last week, in the wake of the successful F1 75 launch event.
“While we look forward to the introduction of the 2026 regulations on chassis and power unit, we must also lead the way on future technological motorsport trends,” he said in a social media post.
“We should consider a range of directions, including the roaring sound of the V10 running on sustainable fuel. Whichever direction is chosen, we must support the manufacturers in ensuring cost control on R&D expenditure.
“Delivering for our members and fans will always be at the heart of all we do alongside important work to make the sport safer and more sustainable for decades to come, ensuring future generations can enjoy F1.”
Modern hybrid power units result in bigger and heavier cars
Grand Prix Photo
It was back in 2005 that Fernando Alonso won the last world championship held with V10 power, and the Spaniard also won the first held to V8 rules in 2006. Those regs lasted until 2013, before the current hybrid era kicked off the following year.
We’ve long been committed to a revamp for 2026 with a higher electrical element, intended ostensibly to keep costs down and generally make things less complicated.
The new package also includes fully sustainable fuel, something that the PU and fuel suppliers are fully immersed in, with F1’s role in development an obvious marketing plus for the sport as a whole.
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A debate over V10s for 2031 emerging even before we’ve seen the new generation of 2026 PUs in action may seem a little premature, but it reflects the fact that not all stakeholders are completely convinced by the upcoming ruleset.
And in addition it really isn’t that early when you consider how long discussions about 2031 are likely to drag on for, and the timelines for manufacturers both to decide to commit to any future rules, and then to actually design and develop a brand-new engine from scratch.
F1 team bosses are keen to keep the focus on 2026, but the fact that they even acknowledge that there’s already debate about 2031 and beyond is significant.
“It looks to be a very early for me to discuss about the engine of 2031, or whatever,” says Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur. “We didn’t start the next homologation. We have still some huge topics on the table, and we didn’t start this journey.
“And let’s be focused on this before to discuss about 2030, or ’31. For sure it will come, and then we’ll have the discussion. But let’s work on the next one first.”
Fred Vasseur and Andy Cowell gave their thoughts on V10s at pre-season testing
Clive Rose/Getty Images
“I think we’re all excited about this season, and then the five years afterwards, where we’re continuing to enjoy the V6 and ERS,” says Andy Cowell, at Mercedes the architect of the most successful PU of the hybrid era, and now at Aston Martin a partner of Honda.
“There’s a tweak to the power unit regulations for the following five years, and we’re all focused on that at the moment. There are some debates going on in the background as to what we should do beyond that.
“We should get all the stakeholders together and work out what’s best for the sport going forwards. But right now, I’m just focused on this year and next year, which is the start of another five-year regulation period.”
Like the others Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is adamant that we should concentrate for the moment on the 2026 regs, while acknowledging that there’s a longer-term picture. He certainly appears to be open to a change of direction. Intriguingly he even hints that a V8 could be an option.
“I think there’s two aspects,” says the Austrian. “First of all, we should be excited about these new regulations coming in next year. We should be talking them up. This is our sport. It is important to have the positivity about it, that such an exciting motor comes into the car.
Wolff says talks about V10s shouldn’t detract from the new generation of power units in 2026
Clive Rose/Getty Images
“We are pushing the boundaries of battery technology, of sustainability. It’s the first year we’re having 100% sustainable fuel. Nobody knows how all of this is going to pan out, and that is really exciting, that F1 is trailblazing.
“So all of the stakeholders, I think we should be really cheering for this, and making sure that the sport is perceived in such a high-tech way as it needs to be, and less driven by opportunistic thoughts.
“That’s number one. Number two, this is a five-year cycle, there’s regulations in place. Whilst this is the journey onwards, having a discussion about what comes afterwards, whether it is a V8 that we like a lot, that is maybe more road relevant than a V10 going forward.
“I think it’s also an exciting discussion to be had, what kind of hybrid system could be playing that role? Is the sound going to go up? All this is really an interesting conversation within a life cycle of regulations, and that’s worth it.
“But at the moment, I think it’s a bit premature, and we are at risk of diluting the messaging to the world if the year before we have even started this new, exciting regulations, we talk about something that comes later.”
With the support of Ford Red Bull’s Christian Horner becomes a power unit manufacturer for the first time in 2026. He’s made no secret of how difficult it’s been to launch a project from a standing start, and how much it has cost. He’s clearly open to a change of direction.
“From a sporting perspective, looking at what the future holding of F1 engines should be beyond this next generation, I think particularly with the way that sustainable fuel is going it does open up all kinds of opportunities,” he says.
“I think inadvertently, we’ve ended up with a very, expensive, very complex engine from ’26 onwards.
“And I think the purist in me would love to go back to a V10 that was done responsibly with sustainable fuel that reintroduced the sound of Grand Prix racing. So it’s an interesting concept, and one to certainly look for after this current set of regs.”
It will be interesting to see how the debate unfolds in the coming months. One thing is clear – in the Liberty Media era F1 is sensitive to the views of its fans. If the idea of smaller, nimbler and noisier cars starts to gather to momentum, Domenicali and his colleagues will have to listen…
