Formula 1 will not return to V10 engines in the imminent future after a “productive” meeting was held between the FIA and teams on Friday.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem led the meeting, having previously voiced his opinion that F1 should consider a return to V10 engines, which were last used in 2005.
Ben Sulayem was pushing for a return as early as 2028 but the new 2026 regulations, which will see a major change to the power unit and chassis regulations, are scheduled to be in place until 2030.
Sky Sports News understands no timeline is in place for F1’s next engine formula after 2026.
“In opening the meeting, the FIA President was keen to stress that the purpose of the gathering was to seek cost-effective solutions to safeguard the long-term sustainability of the sport and the business of Formula 1,” read a statement from the FIA.
“The FIA has firmly committed to the 2026 Formula One regulations. The FIA technical department, together with a number of stakeholders, has invested a lot of time in the framing of the 2026 regulations on hybrid Power Units with 100 per cent sustainable fuel.
“The 2026 regulations, governing Power Unit and chassis, have attracted new Power Unit manufacturers to the sport – underlining that for the 2026 cycle, the correct technical path has been chosen.”
The FIA say their meeting with F1’s teams was “constructive”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner told Sky Sports F1: “It was a very cordial, productive meeting.
“The FIA president was asking for feedback about what the next generation would look like. 2026 is absolutely fixed but thinking a bit further down the line for what’s the right trajectory for F1.
“It’s certainly not 2027 [for a potential return to V10 engines], pretty much impossible for 2028, so it’s all subjective. It’s a fact finding mission at the moment, it’s down to the PU manufacturer to feed back to the FIA and it will progress from there.”
F1 currently have turbo-hybrid power units and last had V10 engines in 2005
F1 would have needed at least four engine manufacturers to vote in favour of changing the regulations.
Mercedes, Ferrari and Honda will all stay in the sport from 2026, with Red Bull powertrains, in partnership with Ford, supplying power units for Red Bull and Racing Bulls.
Honda had planned to leave F1 after this year but will stay in the sport, albeit as the sole supplier to Aston Martin. Audi will join F1 for the first time as they take over Sauber.
The new Cadillac F1 team will also join the grid in 2026, and will run under Ferrari power, but they have plans to use their own power unit by the end of the decade. General Motors were also part of the meeting held on Friday.
Cadillac will join the F1 grid from 2026.
FIA looking to reduce costs in F1
The 2026 regulations will see 50 per cent of the engine powered by electricity and will run entirely on sustainable fuels.
The FIA confirmed electrification will “always be part of any future considerations” and the use of sustainable fuels is “imperative”. That means any return of a V10 engine would almost certainly include an electrical element.
Further discussions will take place about F1’s future but all the teams are committed to the 2026 regulations, which will also see smaller, more nimble cars.
F1 aims to be net carbon zero by 2030
“Inevitably when you get a big regulation change, there is performance divergence and that is almost certain to happen next year,” said Horner.
“Another topic that was discussed this morning was how quickly can there be convergence? We have a budget cap, perhaps the engines don’t need homologating, perhaps you are able to upgrade your engines under that budget cap, that everyone has the same, to encourage convergence as much as possible.
“We all want to have close quarter racing, not a repeat of what we had in 2014 [when one team dominated].
“What the future is, is all subjective and speculative. I thought it was a healthy discussion. Everyone was open and open to ideas about the future because what route is the automotive industry going to take, what effect will the tariffs have? F1 also has to protect itself.”
Sky Sports F1’s Bahrain GP Schedule
Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle breaks down the best chances of winning the Bahrain Grand Prix
Saturday April 12
- 11.10am: F3 Sprint Race
- 1.15pm: Bahrain GP Practice Three (session starts at 1.30pm)
- 3.10pm: F2 Sprint
- 4.10pm: Bahrain GP Qualifying build-up
- 5pm: BAHRAIN GP QUALIFYING
- 7pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday April 13
- 10.50am: F3 Feature Race
- 12.20pm: F2 Feature Race
- 2.30pm: Bahrain GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday
- 4pm: THE BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
- 6pm: Bahrain GP reaction: Chequered Flag
- 7pm: Ted’s Notebook
Formula 1 continues its triple-header in Sakhir at the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime
