Iconic F1 return gathers noise as FIA issue statement

Alonso chases Raikkonen in Spain in 2005 — Photo: © IMAGO

FIA News

Iconic F1 return gathers noise as FIA issue statement

The FIA have set out their viewpoints on the contentious issue

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 3 March 2025 21:09

A contentious Formula 1 issue surrounding V10 engines has been handed a huge boost by the president of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

F1 is set to head into a new era of regulations in 2026, with new power unit and chassis rules sweeping into the sport.

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Power units are set to be changed to allow for a greater use of electrical power, with 50 per cent capacity for electrical power in the hybrid engines compared to the current 20 per cent.

On top of this, the new power units will be ready for the allowance of 100 per cent sustainable fuels in the future, a key asset to helping the sport reach its carbon neutrality goals by 2030.

The future use of sustainable fuels could also help F1 to alter the noise that current cars make, allowing for the potential use of V10 engines once again without having a detrimental impact on the environment.

A plethora of regulation changes are sweeping into the sport in 2026

Mohammed Ben Sulayem is the FIA president

Could the V10 engine make an F1 comeback?

While the new engine regulations are set to make the sport more environmentally compatible, there have been concerns about the sport not doing more to push the use of sustainable fuels now, rather than just making the engines ready for a potential transition in 2030.

Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok, for example, suggested during pre-season testing that F1 should be leading the way for other motorsport series, by being the first to run on 100 per cent sustainable fuels.

On top of the environmental benefits of the move, many F1 fans also yearn for a return to the engine noise that was associated with F1 in the early 2000s.

The screaming V10s haven't been adopted by the grid as a whole since 2005 when Fernando Alonso won his first drivers' title in a V10-powered Renault. The R25 was the last F1 car to win a championship using the fan-favourite engine ahead of the 2006 regulations changes, which required 2.4L V8 engines.

Now, FIA president Ben Sulayem has also appeared to suggest that there are many directions in which the sport is looking to progress to improve the sport's popularity, citing the return to the 'roaring sound' of the V10s as a possibility.

"This week’s F1 launch in London has triggered a lot of positive discussion on the future of the sport," he said in a post last month on Instagram.

"While we look forward to the introduction of the 2026 regulations on chassis and power unit, we must also 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."