F1's V8 plan proves drivers have won FIA regulation argument

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, Max Verstappen, British GP, Britain, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Regulations

F1's V8 plan proves drivers have won FIA regulation argument

F1's V8 plan says plenty about the 2026 backlash

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Friday 8 May 2026 14:02

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has said the quiet part out loud.

After weeks of driver complaints, emergency tweaks, complex explanations and growing frustration around the 2026 regulations, the FIA is no longer simply talking about small fixes to the current F1 rulebook.

It is talking about V8 engines, more sound, less complexity, lighter cars and only minor electrification. In other words, it is talking about exactly the kind of direction drivers and fans have been pushing for.

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FIA president confirms F1 V8 plan

Speaking during the Miami Grand Prix weekend, Ben Sulayem made clear that he expects V8 engines to return to Formula 1 by 2031 and possibly as early as 2030 if enough support can be found.

“It’s coming,” Ben Sulayem said. “At the end of the day, it’s a matter of time.”

F1 only introduced its current power unit concept this season, with the new regulations built around a far greater reliance on electric power, battery management and energy deployment. The early reaction, however, has been anything but smooth.

Drivers have repeatedly raised concerns about lift and coast, superclipping and the feeling that they are not always being rewarded for attacking a lap in the most natural way possible.

Ben Sulayem’s V8 push is not just nostalgia for a louder past. It is a response to a very modern problem.

The FIA president has spoken about reducing complexity, bringing back sound, cutting weight and moving towards a power unit with only minor electrification. A very different message to the one F1 has been selling.

Norris and Verstappen lead F1 driver backlash

Lando Norris has been one of the clearest voices on the issue, with the McLaren driver arguing that F1 still has not properly fixed the central problem with the new regulations.

“If you go flat-out everywhere and you try pushing like you were in previous years, you still just get penalised for it,” Norris said.

That line cuts through all the technical language. F1 can talk about recharge limits, superclip power and boost deployment, but if the drivers feel they are punished for driving flat out, then the sport has a serious issue.

“You just have to get rid of the battery," the McLaren star added. No punches pulled here.

That is not a request for a tiny adjustment to the software. It is a rejection of the balance F1 has chosen with this regulation cycle.

Max Verstappen has also made no secret of his frustration with the current direction of the sport, having previously compared the 2026 version of F1 to 'Formula E on steroids' and 'Mario Kart', threatening with a tongue lodged firmly in his cheek to replace his simulator with a Nintendo.

After the Miami tweaks were introduced, Verstappen still described the changes as a 'tickle', making clear that he did not believe they went far enough to restore the flat-out feeling drivers want.

Miami tweaks were sensible but not enough

To be fair to the FIA and F1, the Miami changes were not pointless.

The tweaks were designed to reduce excessive energy harvesting, make qualifying more consistently flat out and lower the dangerous speed differences between cars when one driver is deploying energy and another is trying to recover it.

The maximum permitted recharge in qualifying was reduced from 8MJ to 7MJ, while peak superclip power was increased from 250kW to 350kW. That was intended to reduce the time spent recharging and cut driver workload around energy management.

Those changes were sensible and there are very few people who did not enjoy watching the Miami GP.

They were, however, just patches.

They tried to make the 2026 concept work better, but they did not remove the thing drivers are actually complaining about. The issue is not simply that one setting is wrong, or that one number needs changing. The issue is that F1 has created a rule set where battery strategy and energy management is too central to the racing itself.

F1's V8 discussion

The argument has moved. It is no longer just fans shouting about engine noise or drivers moaning after a bad weekend. The FIA president is pushing for a simpler engine direction, Verstappen wants V8s or V10s, Norris wants the battery gone and there are numerous other examples of drivers expressing their disdain at the state of racing in 2026.

F1 does not have to go backwards to admit it has gone too far in the wrong direction.

The future can still use sustainable fuels. It can still have some electrification. It can still be relevant without asking drivers to spend too much of a race thinking about battery deployment rather than attacking the car in front.

For years, drivers were told modern F1 had to be complex, hybrid-heavy and battery-led. Now the FIA president is talking about sound, simplicity and less complication.

That is not a full surrender, but it is the clearest sign yet that the drivers have won the argument. Let's hope action soon follows the talking.

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Written by

Matthew Hobkinson - Lead Editor

After four years working for a Lloyd's of London insurance syndicate, lockdown gave Matt the chance to chase a career in sports journalism - he hasn't looked back. Matt has found a home here at GPFans where he can showcase the weird and wonderful world of F1 to the millions of fans around the world who are just as passionate as he is about the best sport in the world.

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F1 Max Verstappen FIA Lando Norris 2026 regulations Mohammed Ben Sulayem