FIA President Opens up About Details of V8 Engines Set to Power F1 Cars in Four Years

He added:

”We’re talking about easier to build, cheaper, and reliable units… really, it is a no-brainer.”

Ben Sulayem revealed the V8 power unit will be simpler to the point where teams like McLaren will be able to develop their own engines instead of relying on Mercedes. He explained:

“I believe that when we introduce it, I feel that even McLaren will do their own engine. They wouldn’t be going to others, because [the reason] why they are going to others is because it is a complicated power unit. They say, ‘We better go and buy what is available, than introduce [our] new engine.’ We [the FIA] says, these are the rules; we just put a ceiling for them, and make sure the teams don’t exceed in the R&D, except what is allocated to them with the cost cap.”

Engine Capacity of More than 2.6 Liters

Ben Sulayem added that the V8 power unit will be a hybrid to the point where batteries produce up to 20% of the power, while the rest will be produced by an internal combustion engine, which will be 2.6 liters or more. He said:

“With all due respect, electrification is not the only solution.”

He added:

“First of all, you have to get the power. You can’t get the power with less than a 2.5- or 2.6-liter, so you’re talking about between 2.6- to 3.0 liters. Then, having a 10% [energy split], you will get to 880 horsepower, but then the car [gas engine] will be about 650 hp, I think.

“Because, one thing we have to be also careful about is, where do you get the power from if you have small displacement? That’d be the heads, and revs, so if you’re a bit high, it will be annoying to young kids.”

He then explained that anything revving past 16,000 rpm could be annoying in terms of sound and add to the team’s development costs. He added:

“You don’t want it to be over 15,500 to 16,000 rpm. Once you go there, the frequency is really annoying, so we have to be responsible. But even if you allow them to reach higher rpm, it’s not about the noise adaptation of the sound. It’s more than that, it’s the price [of development] will just jump, because then you are after that refinement, which is very expensive.”

Ben Sulayem went on to confirm that the V8-powered F1 cars will feature electrification in a small measure only. He said:

“It will be that [a 10% to 20% electric power split], it’s not more than that. Not at all.”