FIA chief Ben Sulayem: V8 engines to return as early as 2030 – nothing decided yet
At the Grand Prix of Africa launch in Kigali, the FIA president said V8s would return a year earlier than expected. Cars are to be around 80 kg lighter and engines far cheaper.
Archive image · Photo: Matti Blume / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has announced that V8 engines will return to Formula 1 in the 2030 season – a year earlier than previously expected. Speaking at the launch of the Grand Prix of Africa in Kigali, he said according to GPblog that the new V8 would be introduced in 2030, meaning Rwanda would have that engine at its very first race. He said he had the support of the manufacturers. Until now a switch had been discussed for 2031, after five seasons under the current rules.
Ben Sulayem also named specific targets: cars around 80 kilograms lighter, and research, development and engine costs at least 50 per cent lower. The current minimum weight is 768 kilograms, Motorsport-Total reports. "It's about sound, not noise," he said – admitting that perhaps he should not be telling the press this yet.
The new engine format has not been officially adopted: according to Motorsport-Total there is no confirmation from the FIA, Formula One Management or the manufacturers, and GPblog says the regulations still have to be agreed and voted on. F1 has used 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrid engines since 2014; since 2026 about half the power comes from the battery, which many drivers criticised. It is also unclear whether the planned circuit in Bugesera near Kigali will be ready by 2030.