FIA considering F1 refuelling return

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FIA confirms it is considering F1 refuelling return during races

Could we see the return of refuelling in F1?

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 1 July 2026 12:29

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F1 may only be eight races into the 2026 championship but the issues with the new regulations that came with it are already forming conversations around the next ruleset and a potential return.

The FIA and F1 follow a five-year cycle for regulations, meaning talks about which direction to take the next era in for 2031 are already well underway.

The Concorde Agreement that keeps F1, its commercial rights holder and its governing body on the same page is due to expire in 2030, hence why FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been so vocal about introducing the engine rules he personally favours the following year, if not earlier.

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F1's governing body and Ben Sulayem are pushing for the return of a naturally aspirated V8, which wouldn't quite meet the fan demands of a V10 comeback, but would be a win where the return of a roaring engine is concerned.

Some manufacturers are not fully onboard however with teams like Audi in favour of a solution to the current regulations issues that still reflects their commercial direction.

The FIA however have a broad scope when looking at the 2030/31 regulations. The number of cylinders (V8/V6), and whether they will be turbo or naturally aspirated are still being discussed.

As talks progress over bringing back V8s, GPFans understands that the FIA are also considering the potential return of refuelling for what would be the first time in over two decades.

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Could refuelling return to F1?

Many teams including Williams, Red Bull and even Adrian Newey's Aston Martin have struggled with overweight machinery this season under the new regulations.

As a result, one of the main boxes the FIA are looking to tick with their next engine project is significantly reducing the weight of the cars once again.

The goal is for an F1 car to weigh roughly 700 kilograms in the next phase of the sport with the possibility for that number to get even lower as discussions continue.

Of course to meet this goal, the power unit would have to be simplified and more compact to allow the cars and be lighter and smaller, and with that prospect, the possibility of bringing refuelling back to the sport has also been raised.

Refuelling has been banned in F1 since 2010 primarily for safety reasons (Jos Verstappen's 1994 German Grand Prix pit stop incident with Benetton comes to mind) meaning teams must now fuel their cars for the length of the race before sending them out onto the grid.

However, the FIA have another concern in addition to safety, with the main obstacle for refuelling being F1's new approach in reducing the amount of necessary equipment that needs to be transported to each grand prix weekend, another element of the sport's sustainability push of course."

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