Ben Sulayem says F1 could have V8 engines as soon as 2029
Formula One could go back to using noisy V8 engines with fully sustainable fuel by 2029 at the earliest, according to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
The sport is entering a new engine era next season but the head of the governing body suggested last February that a return to the naturally-aspirated V8s or V10s was being considered after that.
The V8 engines were last used in 2013, before the current 1.6-litre V6 units.
"The current engine is so complicated, you have no idea, and it is costly," Ben Sulayem told reporters at the weekend's British Grand Prix.
"R&D is reaching 200 million (dollars), and the engine is costing approximately 1.8 to 2.1, so if we go with a straight V8, let's see.
"Many of the manufacturers produce V8s in their cars, so commercially it's correct. How much is it? You drop it. The target is more than 50% in everything."
Ben Sulayem said the V8 engine would also have significant weight advantages and the sound would be welcomed by both nostalgic fans and the new generation.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August
Singapore Four golf courses to close by 2035, leaving Singapore with 12 courses
Singapore Singapore's second mufti Sheikh Syed Isa Semait dies at age 87
Singapore Fewer marriages in Singapore in 2024; greater marital stability for recent unions
Singapore Competition watchdog gives SIA, Malaysia Airlines conditional approval to continue cooperation
Singapore About 20 delivery riders meet Pritam Singh to discuss platform worker issues
Business OCBC sets loan target of $5b and covers more territories in boost for serial entrepreneurs
Singapore Reform Party to leave opposition group People's Alliance for Reform; two parties remain
"To us, the V8 is happening. With the teams now, I'm very optimistic, happy about it. FOM (Formula One Management) are supportive, the teams are realising it is the right way," he said.
"We need to do it soon... you need three years, so hopefully by 2029 we have something there, but the fuel is also very expensive, and we have to be very careful with that. Transmissions are very expensive."
Ben Sulayem also spoke about the possibility of a Chinese team filling the final 12th slot, something he has mentioned before, and said he still felt the sport needed more cars rather than more races.
"The time will come when we feel it is right to open an expression of interest," he said of filling the 12th slot.
"We are not here to upset other teams. It won't be just go and do it for the sake of doing it. It has to be worth it for us. The team has to add value to sustaining the business of Formula One."
General Motors' Cadillac brand is due to become the 11th team next season, a slot won after initial resistance from the other teams and Liberty Media-owned Formula One. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
17 hours ago
- Straits Times
TV Globo regains F1 broadcast rights in Brazil from 2026
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox TV Globo has recovered the exclusive broadcast rights for Formula One in Brazil in a three-year deal from 2026 after being absent since 2020, the sport announced on Friday. The broadcaster held the rights for more than 40 years until Bandeirantes took over in 2021. The deal will give Brazilian fans free-to-air live access to 15 of the 24 races while the remainder will be on Globo's pay channel, sportv. No financial details were given. With 20-year-old Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, last year's Formula Two champion, Brazil has a full-time Formula One driver on the grid this season for the first time since Felipe Massa retired in 2017. Brazil, home country of world champions Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and the late Ayrton Senna, also has the only South American round of the championship with a race at Sao Paulo's Interlagos circuit. REUTERS
CNA
21 hours ago
- CNA
Formula E and FIA set for long-term contract extension
LONDON :Formula E is set to extend an exclusive deal with motorsport's world governing body that will ensure it remains the only all-electric racing series sanctioned by the FIA for decades to come. Formula E, majority owned since last year by telecoms company Liberty Global, started out in 2014 with a 25-year licence. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem let slip to reporters during last weekend's British Formula One Grand Prix that an extension to the Formula E contract was done and "would come up soon". Formula E chief executive Jeff Dodds told Reuters on Friday ahead of the season's penultimate round in Berlin that there was nothing official. He said, however, to expect various announcements at the London season-ender this month. Formula One is starting a new engine era next year with a 50/50 split between combustion and electric but Ben Sulayem has said the Liberty Media-owned sport could go back to noisy V8 engines by 2029. "If they (F1) choose to keep using it (the 2026 engine), we'll choose to keep talking about the fact that they like the (electric) technology so much they integrate it into their race cars," said Dodds. "If they choose to go back to V8s, then we would absolutely leverage the fact that we would then be the only electric championship and everything that that means." MCLAREN EXIT Formula E is likely to be reduced to 10 teams, from 11 at present, next season after the withdrawal of Formula One champions McLaren to focus on endurance racing. McLaren had sought a new owner for the team but Dodds said the time frame was too tight for interested parties and it would revert to Formula E, barring a late twist. "As it stands unless something changes, and I never say never in Formula E or motorsport, their last race would be London," he added. "The team slot would vacate, which means the licence would revert to us, and then we have a lot of other interest in joining the championship. "The chance of somebody joining for one year of Gen3 is unlikely but the chance of somebody coming in and starting to develop with a future coming in for Gen4 is much more likely." Formula E will be in the last year of its Gen3 era next season, with the more powerful and faster Gen4 car then coming in for 2026/27. Nissan's British driver Oliver Rowland can clinch the 2024-25 championship in the Berlin double-header this weekend, and would be the series' 10th different champion in 11 seasons.
Straits Times
21 hours ago
- Straits Times
Formula E and FIA set for long-term contract extension
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Formula One F1 - Monaco Grand Prix - Circuit de Monaco, Monaco - May 22, 2025 General view of the FIA logo ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq LONDON - Formula E is set to extend an exclusive deal with motorsport's world governing body that will ensure it remains the only all-electric racing series sanctioned by the FIA for decades to come. Formula E, majority owned since last year by telecoms company Liberty Global, started out in 2014 with a 25-year licence. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem let slip to reporters during last weekend's British Formula One Grand Prix that an extension to the Formula E contract was done and "would come up soon". Formula E chief executive Jeff Dodds told Reuters on Friday ahead of the season's penultimate round in Berlin that there was nothing official. He said, however, to expect various announcements at the London season-ender this month. Formula One is starting a new engine era next year with a 50/50 split between combustion and electric but Ben Sulayem has said the Liberty Media-owned sport could go back to noisy V8 engines by 2029. "If they (F1) choose to keep using it (the 2026 engine), we'll choose to keep talking about the fact that they like the (electric) technology so much they integrate it into their race cars," said Dodds. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore ST will have Govt's 'full confidence and support' in its mission: PM Wong Singapore ST will aim to become an indispensable partner to S'pore's communities: Editor Jaime Ho Singapore Wishes for ST beyond 180: Odes to its enduring role in the Singapore story Singapore Heartbeats & Headlines: ST's 180-year legacy comes to life in immersive exhibition Singapore Trusted news, smarter experience with new Straits Times website and app Singapore Community space Stranger Conversations blossoms as 'library of human stories' and life experiences Singapore Man who killed 5-year-old daughter gets life sentence after he appeals against 35-year jail term Singapore Judge declines to void alleged sham marriage in S'pore, says it is for Parliament to decide "If they choose to go back to V8s, then we would absolutely leverage the fact that we would then be the only electric championship and everything that that means." MCLAREN EXIT Formula E is likely to be reduced to 10 teams, from 11 at present, next season after the withdrawal of Formula One champions McLaren to focus on endurance racing. McLaren had sought a new owner for the team but Dodds said the time frame was too tight for interested parties and it would revert to Formula E, barring a late twist. "As it stands unless something changes, and I never say never in Formula E or motorsport, their last race would be London," he added. "The team slot would vacate, which means the licence would revert to us, and then we have a lot of other interest in joining the championship. "The chance of somebody joining for one year of Gen3 is unlikely but the chance of somebody coming in and starting to develop with a future coming in for Gen4 is much more likely." Formula E will be in the last year of its Gen3 era next season, with the more powerful and faster Gen4 car then coming in for 2026/27. Nissan's British driver Oliver Rowland can clinch the 2024-25 championship in the Berlin double-header this weekend, and would be the series' 10th different champion in 11 seasons. REUTERS
