Formula 1: Return to V10 engines to be discussed next week – sources

SUZUKA, Japan — Formula 1’s engine manufacturers will meet ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix next week to talk about a return to V10 engines, sources have confirmed to ESPN.

The FIA has confirmed it was assessing a switch to V10s as early as 2028 or 2029 after the president of the governing body, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, raised the possibility earlier this year of simplifying F1’s engine formula.

Sources said the meeting in Sakhir will be to assess support and opposition to the idea.

Ben Sulayem’s desire for V10s has been framed as an effort to cut costs as they would be significantly cheaper to produce than current engines. But the suggestion has triggered concern among some existing manufacturers, who have already pumped millions into the new generation of hybrid V6 engines being introduced next year.

Audi, taking over the Sauber team under the new 2026 rules package, came to the sport on the basis of that engine package and its strong focus on electric power.

Honda, which is becoming Aston Martin’s sole engine supplier next season, committed to a longer stay in F1 on the premise of those rules.

The Bahrain meeting would look at two different points: the V10 idea in general and the idea of quickly cycling through the 2026 regulations to bring them in before the end of the decade.

Sources told ESPN some teams are more open to the idea due to trends in the automotive industry, which are shifting towards sustainable fuels rather than electrification.

There are also concerns in some quarters about the cost of existing V6 engines. The 2026 rule change removed a lot of the expensive and complicated aspects of the current generation of V6s, but manufacturers are still concerned at the expense.

Honda’s current partner Red Bull will race from 2026 with its own engines, a project the former world champions built from scratch at its UK headquarters in Milton Keynes.

A V10 running on sustainable fuel would be significantly cheaper to produce.

On Friday, Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell said F1 should focus on that set of engines rather than rushing through something else.

Cowell also suggested a move to V10s, last used in F1 in 2005, would be a backwards step, adding: “You refer to it as a new V10, I’d refer to it as an old V10.”

Source: espn.com