FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem Says V-8s are Part of Formula One's Sustainability Plan

Returning to the V-8 means increasing the displacement, but we're not talking about high-displacement engines similar to GM's new 6.7-liter LS6. "First of all, you have to get the power. You can't get the power with less than a 2.5 or a 2.6, so you're talking about 2.6 to 3.0 liters. Then, having a 10 percent [energy split], you will get to the 880 horsepower, but then the car [combustion engine] will be about 650 horsepower." Aside from giving out what he expects the engine size to be, Ben Sulayem's comments to Car and Driver also revealed what he expects the hybrid split to be, with the batteries taking a much less significant role than they do right now.

Since the engines won't be huge, they'll need to rev quite high to achieve those power figures, but Ben Sulayem doesn't want them revving too high. "Because one thing we have to also be careful about is, where do you get the power from if you have a small displacement? That's the heads and revs, so if you're a bit high, it will be annoying to young kids. So you don't want it to be over 15 and a half to 16,000 rpm."

'This Is Not Coming out of Nowhere'

According to Ben Sulayem, his comments surrounding V-8's are born from real discussions happening behind the scenes between the FIA, Formula One Management, and the teams. "This is not coming out of nowhere. This is coming after a lot of consultation with the other PUMs (Power Unit Manufacturers), and to have the super majority in it, we will have to bring it one year earlier, I'm saying, not to bring it or not to bring it. No, it's about one year."

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Part of Ben Sulayem's insistence on reviving the V-8 stems from the costs surrounding the current 1.6-liter V-6, which he feels is too high. "I believe when we introduce it, I feel even McLaren will build their own engine," Ben Sulayem said to C/D.

"Why are they going to others to do it [build an engine]?" Ben Sulayem asked. "It is a complicated unit," Ben Sulayem said, answering his own question. "They said, 'We'd be better to go and buy what is available, than to go and introduce a new engine.'"

"But then you will see the competitiveness between them. You [the FIA] say, 'These are the rules.' We just put a ceiling for it and make sure they don't exceed the R&D, except what is allocated to them with the cost cap."

The decision may seem rash at first glance; aside from the United States, most other countries are electrifying their passenger fleets at increasing rates. But several automakers, including those involved in Formula 1, are still working on V-8 engines for their passenger vehicles. General Motors introduced the LS6, a new 6.7-liter V-8, as recently as March. Mercedes-Benz recently launched a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 with a flat-plane crank design, and of course, Ferrari continues to use eight-cylinder engines in several models. Even McLaren launched a new twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 with its W1 hypercar, lending credence to Ben Sulayem's comments about McLaren potentially becoming a works team.

Ben Sulayem's comments aren't binding, but the FIA President's words carry considerable weight, and we expect to hear more about his plans to reintroduce V-8s in the near future.

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