F1 chief ponders push for SPORT-ALTERING engine change

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F1 chief ponders push for SPORT-ALTERING engine change

Stefano Domenicali believes it could become a reality in the future

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 22 May 2024 09:57

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has heeded fans' calls for noisier V8 engines in the sport, suggesting that it is something that he is looking into.

Since 2014, new hybrid power units have brought about a reduction in the noise levels emitted by F1 cars, as well as a reduction in the environmental impact of the sport.

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A 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 engine formula was introduced in 2014, and 2026's new regulation change is set to go even further, with a focus on battery power and the potential to use sustainable fuels in the future.

While this is likely to help F1 reach its carbon neutrality goals by 2030, a big step in improving the noise spectacle for fans that was supposedly going to happen, is now seemingly unlikely.

F1 has some ambitious carbon neutrality targets

Stefano Domenicali is the chief executive of Formula 1

F1 pondering return to V8 engines

Despite this, there is positive news for fans of the older-style F1 cars that used to tear ear drums apart, with Domenicali hinting that a return to V8 engines may be possible in the future.

While his main focus is on trying to reduce the impact that the sport has on the environment, Domenicali believes that the use of sustainable fuels in the future could solve both problems.

The ability to use so-called sustainable fuels in the future has been explored as a possibility, with F1's ambitious environmental targets at the forefront of any future changes in the sport.

“As soon as the 2026 regulations are defined, we will start to think about what the next steps will be, such as the 2030 engine,” Domenicali told Italian media ahead of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

“It is a personal consideration of mine, not yet shared with the teams, even if we have spoken about it with the FIA, that if sustainable fuels work, we will need to carefully evaluate whether to continue with hybrid (technology) or whether better solutions will be available."

Mercedes Formula 1 Stefano Domenicali