FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has reiterated his commitment to a return of V8 engines in Formula 1 in the near future, and has now outlined a broader vision that would also involve a dramatic reduction in car weight.
Current 2026 Formula 1 cars have a minimum weight of 768kg. While the FIA’s latest regulations have already succeeded in reducing that figure compared to the previous generation, Ben Sulayem believes much more can be done.
Formula 1’s minimum weight has steadily increased over the past decade as a result of several factors, including larger cars, increasingly sophisticated hybrid power units, stronger crash structures and additional safety systems.
Ben Sulayem acknowledged that safety requirements have contributed to the trend – but still believes F1 can return to the weight levels seen around 15 years ago.
“What is the worst thing in the cars now?” he said in an interview with French broadcaster Canal+. “Complexity, more money, expenses, and also big car. A big and heavy car means what? Means it is not safe.
“We added 50 kilograms because of the safety. But now I would like to see a car, a total complete car for less than 650 kilograms. My target is 630.”
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem
Achieving such a figure while maintaining modern safety standards would represent a major engineering challenge. Even reaching the FIA president’s broader target of sub-650kg cars would require a reduction of more than 100kg compared to the current regulations.
Ben Sulayem believes a simplified engine formula could help make that possible, with future regulations reducing the role of electrical components in the power unit. That would effectively mean lighter batteries and a smaller hybrid contribution than today, as the FIA president envisions electrification accounting for around 10% of the overall power output.
“The V8 has to come,” he said. “You have the power from the ICE engine of maybe 760 horsepower with 10% in it of electrification. That would give it the sound. It would be much cheaper. And R&D, research and development, much cheaper.
“As an engine alone, much lighter, enjoyable, and the sound will come for the spectators.”
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Under Ben Sulayem’s vision, Formula 1 would retain an element of electrification but significantly reduce its role compared to current hybrid power units, helping to lower costs and cut weight.
The FIA president also argued that a return to naturally aspirated V8 engines would not come at the expense of F1’s environmental ambitions, as the series switched to fully sustainable fuels under the 2026 regulations.
“You have the teams. You have the financial stability of the race. And you run it in what? Sustainable fuel,” he said.
“I can’t see where we will get it wrong. The fans [will] have something that we have to give [them] to.”
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