High-revving naturally aspirated engines and their associated screaming soundtracks might be on their way back to Formula 1. Not with next year’s rule changes—that will see even bigger lithium-ion batteries and an even more powerful electric motor, paired with a turbocharged V6. But the sport is starting to think more seriously about the technical rules that will go into effect in 2030, and in an Instagram post yesterday, the man in charge of those rules signaled that he’s open to cars that might be louder, lighter, and less complicated.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s tenure as president of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile has been packed with controversy. The former rally driver has alienated many F1 drivers with clampdowns on jewelry and, most recently, swearing, as well as a refusal to explain what happens to the money the FIA collects as fines.
He also ruffled feathers when the FIA opened up the entry process for new teams into the sport and then approved an entry by Andretti Global. While the FIA said yes, the commercial side (which is owned by Liberty Media) and the teams wanted nothing to do with an 11th team—at least until the $200 million anti-dilution fee was more than doubled and Michael Andretti stepped aside.
This time, Ben Sulayem is saying all the right things, to this author at least. “While we look forward to the introduction of the 2026 regulations on chassis and power unit, we must lead the way on future technological motorsport trends. We should consider a range of directions including the roaring sound of the V10 running on sustainable fuel,” he wrote.
It’s not the first time an F1 official has said something along these lines—last year F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali also teased the return of naturally aspirated engines. F1 is moving to sustainable fuels from next year, so as long as the energy required to make those fuels comes from wind or solar, it does not matter whether the cars have hybrid systems.
Those hybrids are expensive and heavy, and they’ve also been necessary to keep the involvement of road car manufacturers. But most of those car companies are backtracking on their electrification plans, for one thing. And other racing series are dropping their hybrids in favor of sustainable fuels. Plus, relying upon the largesse of car companies is usually a fool’s errand, as F1 history shows over and over again. Ditching hybrids would make it far cheaper to develop an F1 powertrain, reopening the doors to specialist engine builders like Judd or Cosworth to return to competition.
Finally, the cars would sound spectacular in a way that the tens of millions of fans new to the sport since Drive to Survive have yet to experience.
Now, if only they’d listen to my idea to get rid of the wings…