F1 legend delivers brutal V8 verdict after FIA engine U-turn

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F1 News & Gossip

F1 legend delivers brutal V8 verdict after FIA engine U-turn

The FIA have been discussing a return of V8 engines

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 10 May 2026 10:55

An F1 legend has shut down the idea of a return to V8 engines in the sport, claiming the V8 era was 'boring'.

Amid 2026 regulation changes that have been controversial to say the least and have led to tweaks being made in the short-term, the FIA are now looking towards the future, and what the power units might look like in years to come.

2027 power units will have less of an emphasis on the energy recovery system (ERS) and more of an emphasis on the internal combustion engine (ICE), put in place to make it less crucial for drivers to be harvesting energy via methods such as super clipping and lifting and coasting.

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The ICE can now run off 100 per cent sustainable fuels, meaning the reduction in electrical power will not hamper too much F1's goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

And with these sustainable fuels proving to be a real success both in F1 and in road cars around the world, the FIA have hinted that F1 could soon head back to an era of V8 engines, but run on entirely sustainable fuels.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem confidently suggested the technology 'is coming' to F1, and is 'just a matter of time'.

But the earliest such changes could be made would be in 2030, and that would be subject to power unit manufacturers' input, having put so much work into electrical energy and recovery systems over the past few years.

For fans, a return to the classic engine noise of the V8s would be a welcome one, but F1 legend Juan Pablo Montoya has warned fans to not look back on this era with rose-tinted glasses.

Montoya mainly used V10s during his career in the sport between 2001-2006, but V8s did come into the sport during his final season in 2006.

"People say, 'oh, your time was so good', I say, 'watch a race, it’s so boring,'" Montoya told the BBC Chequered Flag podcast. "Even for us.

"It was sometimes like a short test session."

When were V8s used in F1?

The V8 technology swept into F1 in 2006, and lasted until 2013, before the hybrid power units took over.

The V6 turbo-hybrids which took over did not have the same noise that was so synonymous with F1, but did improve fuel efficiency and align with automotive industry trends at the time.

Montoya may not look at the V8 era with much joy, but the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012 world championships were all classic seasons, and produced some thrilling racing between several teams in the sport.

Of course, the turbo-hybrid era has also provided us with some thrilling title battles (remember 2021 anyone?), fans, pundits and drivers alike have not been happy with the latest hybrid power units, which focus a much heavier reliance of electrical energy.

Drivers have a greater responsibility to manage their battery capacity, and this has meant not always going flat out around the track, even during qualifying.

The tweaks made by the FIA is designed to help with this in the short term, but longer term the FIA are discussing what to do with the power unit situation.

F1 FIA Juan Pablo Montoya