"We love V8s" - What F1 manufacturers think about future engine regulations

Mercedes is publicly backing a future move to V8 engines as long as its hybrid component remains industry relevant, and Toto Wolff's thoughts are echoed throughout the paddock.

The topic of F1's future engine regulations is back on the agenda as several stakeholders are keen to finalise a decision of the championship's direction of travel later this year because of the long lead times involved.

Speaking exclusively to Autosport last month, F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali said: "We need to decide as soon as possible. Of course, we're going to be together with the FIA in discussing that. But that's something that this year we need to decide what could be next."

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem declared over the Miami Grand Prix weekend that F1 would definitely switch to V8 engines by 2031 and possibly one year earlier. With the most recent Concorde Agreement expiring after the 2030 season, the governing body could in theory unilaterally push through its desired engine formula for 2031, although a more prudent path would be to ramp up its dialogue with F1's power unit manufacturers over the coming weeks and months.

The good news is that current manufacturers appear largely aligned on a move to V8 engines with sustainable fuel and a smaller hybrid element compared to 2026's compromised formula.

Mercedes F1 chief Toto Wolff said a V8 power plant would be a "pure Mercedes engine" but he cautioned that F1 must remain relevant to the wider industry and can't abandon hybrid technology entirely. "From a Mercedes standpoint we are open to new engine regulations. We love V8s," Wolff said in Miami. "From our perspective it's a pure Mercedes engine. Revs high.

"How do we give it enough energy from the battery side to not lose connection to the real world? Because if we swing to 100% combustion [power], we might be looking a bit ridiculous in 2031 or 2030. So, we need to consider that, make it simpler and make it a mega engineering [project]. Maybe we can extract 800bhp of the ICE and put 400bhp on top of it or more in terms of electric energy. We are absolutely up for it, as long as those discussions happen in a structured way. People's considerations have to be taken on board."

Toto Wolff, Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

While Wolff was just thinking out loud rather than literally pitching 1200bhp engines, his point stands that F1 can return to powerful, screaming combustion engines without losing sight of the wider industry.

However, the ambitious concept of a 50/50 split between the two looks destined to be an anomaly of industry thinking during the period the 2026 rules had to be agreed upon, and which yielded a U-turn from Honda on its planned F1 exit and an entry from Audi and the Ford partnership with Red Bull Powertrains.

True to its style, Honda has remained cautious in the public domain, but is understood to be willing to consider radically different regulations compared to the ones it initially signed up for. Audi is another manufacturer that specifically signed up to F1 because of its 2026 engine plan, but the world has since changed as brands have fallen short of their EV sale projections. V8 engines also fit well within Audi's road car strategy, although the German manufacturer is understood to be keen for turbocharging to remain a core part of F1's next engine formula.

Brawny V8s are certainly music to the ears of US OEMs GM and Ford, despite the large investments Cadillac and Red Bull Ford Powertrains have been making in the current formula. Cadillac is still on course to introduce its own V6 hybrids by 2029, and it is too far down the road to backtrack from it, so it must undertake a dual power unit programme if F1 goes in a different direction for 2030 or 2031.

Speaking on behalf of Red Bull Ford Powertrains, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said: "We are pretty cool with it. We feel we had to start from zero to go and try to deal with this power unit and I think the starting point is decent. We are still lacking some PU performance compared to Mercedes, but we feel that the guys did a phenomenal job to put us in a fight. So, we are quite excited to have another challenge tomorrow. We are probably a bit more flexible and independent."

Ferrari is also not against the idea of simpler and lighter power units, specifically hoping to reduce the development budgets required. "Regarding the future, we have different options on the table," said Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur. "I think it will soon be time to discuss the different options. From the beginning we have one parameter in mind, it’s also to reduce the crazy budget of the engine. And this is for the PU manufacturers but also for customers and for the benefit of F1.

"I think that now we can discuss all the opportunities and we’ll have time to do it soon."