Why Team Bosses Believe It's Too Late for V10s Switch
Mar.22 - Top team bosses are not confident Formula 1 cars will be screaming with old-school V10 power any time soon.
Discussions are clearly taking place behind the scenes about whether the sport should realise the 'mistake' of the radical 2026 engine rules and delay the introduction of the even more electrically-augmented 'power units'.
Then, the FIA could simply install regulations for simple, affordable, light and 100 percent sustainable-fuel V10 engines for 2028, restoring the old and highly popular scream of high-revving, normally-aspirated power.
"The romantic in you is hugely attracted to the idea of a screaming V10, so long as it's done responsibly and with fully-sustainable fuels," said Red Bull's Christian Horner.
But some are warning that a move as dramatic as that could even lead to Formula 1 being sued by Audi and Honda - who were lured onto the 2026 grid on the promise of forward rather than backward-looking engines.
Horner admits: "It's sort of ten past midnight and Cinderella's left the building. It would be a massive departure obviously to move away from what is currently being worked on very hard for 2026."
On this particular topic, Horner and McLaren CEO Zak Brown are finding rare common-ground.
"I don't really see how you can unwind what's in place, because of all the different power unit changes that are happening right now," he said.
"Audi's coming in, Alpine's going to Mercedes for an engine. Logistically, I'm not sure how you put the genie back in the bottle."
Alpine boss Oliver Oakes agrees: "I think it's quite a romantic idea, but obviously the train has left the station now for 2026.
"I think it's probably something beyond that that will be looked at because it does sound quite good for Formula 1 to go that way a little bit," he said.
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Indeed. A V10 concept with synthetic fuel was possible for 2026 until the final decision was made on the V6 concept with a 50-50 ICE to electric power ratio, so the upcoming cycle is simply a missed opportunity.
Unfortunately, manufacturers are & were too hell-bent on hybrids for any different concept options to get chosen to directly succeed the current powertrain concept.
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