Simpler, cheaper hybrid V8s proposed for next F1 rules

⏱ 4 min read • 986 words

The FIA has sent Formula 1’s six engine manufacturers a proposal for 2.0- to 2.3-litre V8 turbo hybrid engines. The plan would halve the current $190m (£143m) annual engine budget cap and take about 80kg out of the cars. It could take effect as early as 2030.

The document has been reviewed by BBC Sport. It follows one-to-one talks between the governing body and Mercedes, Ferrari, Audi, Honda, Red Bull and newcomer Cadillac. It also drops the naturally aspirated engines that FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem had been pushing for. Over the coming weeks the FIA aims to agree a framework it can put to the World Motor Sport Council in December.

What the proposal contains

The plan keeps hybrid technology but gives it a much smaller role than it has today. The main points are:

Engine: a V8 of 2.0 to 2.3 litres with a smaller turbocharger running at lower boost pressure.
Energy recovery: the MGU-K’s recovery capacity drops from 350kW to 200kW.
Electric deployment: 100kW available at all times, plus another 100kW for an overtake or “push-to-pass” mode.
Total output: about 900bhp, with most of it coming from the combustion engine.
Fuel: fully sustainable fuels stay, but the rules are simplified to cut production costs.
Cost: the budget cap is cut by 50%, though this is a starting point for talks.

The FIA’s stated aims are lighter, more responsive cars, more emphasis on driver skill, lower costs and easier entry for new manufacturers. It also wants to keep cutting emissions and stay relevant to road cars, which is why the turbo stays. The document says only that the engines will sound “more visceral”.

Manufacturers may not need to start from scratch. One option in the paper would add two cylinders to the existing 1.6-litre V6 blocks to make a 2.1-litre V8, with a smaller turbo and MGU-K.

Why F1 is changing course again

The proposal comes less than a year into the current rules. Those rules dropped the MGU-H and moved to a near 50-50 split between combustion and electrical power, and they have been heavily criticised. Drivers say the cars spend too much of each lap managing energy, and that the challenge of some fast corners has been reduced.

Fernando Alonso called the sport the “battery world championship” and said fast corners had become “the charging station for the car”. Max Verstappen called the rules “Formula E on steroids”. Both have since softened their tone, but the complaint has stuck. The current 1.6-litre V6 turbos run a 53-47 split between combustion and electric power. That is already due to move to 60-40 in two steps by 2028.

Ben Sulayem has been pushing for louder, simpler engines for some time. Early last year he floated a return to V10s, then switched to V8s, and at one stage he threatened to impose rules for 2031 on his own if no deal was reached. That threat appears to have faded now that the FIA is negotiating a framework with the manufacturers.

F1 last used V8s between 2006 and 2013. Those were 2.4-litre naturally aspirated engines, and in 2014 they were replaced by the turbo hybrid V6s that have been used, in different forms, ever since. The new proposal would combine the more aggressive sound and character of a V8 with the hybrid technology manufacturers say they need to justify being in F1.

The sticking points

The basic idea is broadly acceptable to the manufacturers, according to insiders. Three issues still need to be settled.

Standardisation. The most controversial option in the document would have every manufacturer start from a baseline power unit supplied by an outside company and then customise it. Insiders say the manufacturers are united against this. They want to design and build their own engines and keep the power unit as a way to beat their rivals. Opponents point to a software fault this season that left cars stuck at walking pace at the start of a race as an example of the risk of standardised electronics.

Budget. A 50% cut to the cap would mean big changes at engine factories. Manufacturers want a gradual “glide path” to protect jobs, especially while they are still developing the current engines and designing the new ones at the same time.

Timing. The contracts between the FIA, the teams and the commercial rights holder run only until 2030, so the new rules could start in 2030 or 2031. That decision is closely tied to the budget question. An earlier start would cut short the payback on the large investments made for this year’s rules, which matters most to the newest arrivals, Audi and Cadillac.

The outcome will set the direction of F1 into the 2030s. A deal in December would give manufacturers about four years to build a new engine. Without one, F1 risks another dispute over its rules just as its current contracts are due to expire.

—

The facts come from BBC Sport’s report of 27 October 2026, republished on [Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/simpler-cheaper-hybrid-v8s-proposed-152059771.html). It is about 720 words, with three `