JUNE 14, 2026

FIA ready to take on Audi in F1's V8 turbo row

Formula 1's next major engine battle is already brewing, with the FIA seemingly prepared to oppose Audi's insistence on turbocharging as the sport eyes a return to V8 power.

Speaking at Le Mans, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem made clear he is pushing hard for a simpler, lighter and cheaper engine formula to replace the widely criticised 2026 regulations.

The V8 is a done deal. The decision has been made, he confirmed to several media outlets, including Auto Hebdo.

A V8 is sustainable. When we talk about R and D, we're talking about more than 200 million euros. Red Bull has invested over 1.3 billion in the current engine - it's absurd.

There will be a hybrid, but a lightweight and simple one.

Formula 1 is already shifting the balance back towards the combustion engine and 2027 and 2028 - and for the next set of rules from 2030 or 2031, the cars could weigh as little as 630 kilograms, Ben Sulayem said.

With a V8, 10 percent hybridisation, and sustainable fuel, we achieve 760 horsepower in the base version, around 880 with the hybrid. No turbocharger. A turbocharger adds weight and cost, he continued.

The mission is simplicity, cost control, and a pleasing sound for the audience. We consulted the six engine manufacturers - they prefer lightness and simplicity, with engine costs reduced from 1.5 million to approximately 700,000 euros.

However, Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports that Audi remains firmly committed to turbocharging.

Many people say we need a turbo. But then we have excess weight again, Ben Sulayem said.

If you install a turbo, you need a wastegate, intercooler, hoses... that's all weight. And it costs money.

The position puts the FIA chief directly at odds with Audi management.

At Monaco, Audi CEO Gernot Dollner reaffirmed the manufacturer's preference for turbocharged engines. We prefer turbocharging because of its efficiency, he said.

For Audi, the most important aspect is maintaining the sustainability concept and ensuring that energy efficiency remains a key pillar of the F1 regulations.

According to reports, Audi would favour a twin-turbo configuration similar to the system used in its newly unveiled Nuvolari supercar.

Of course, it's good to exchange ideas, Ben Sulayem said.

The FIA listens to the wishes of the power unit manufacturers. We currently have six of them. But if it were up to us, we'd prefer low weight, a simple design, and less time required for changes.

The FIA president would like the new rules introduced as early as 2030 with manufacturer agreement, but he indicated the governing body could simply impose its preferred regulations from 2031 onwards.

Driver sentiment is fully aligned with Ben Sulayem's criticism of the 2026 direction. We should go back to V8s next year, if you ask me, but I understand that everything is moving very slowly, said Aston Martin's Lance Stroll.

"Anyone who knows anything about cars would have told you that these cars are awful to drive.

"It was to be expected, anything that adds weight, like the battery and things like regeneration and how you have to drive on battery power and not use it.

I don't know, it shouldn't be like this, but we're in this situation and it is what it is.

Fernando Alonso would go even further than the FIA's proposed 10 percent hybrid component. I would like to scrap the electric component entirely, the Spaniard stated emphatically.

"The electric part has little added value for the competition. There is already a fully electric class in the form of Formula E, and there they really push that technology to the limit.

Those cars are powerful and offer plenty of spectacle. For Formula 1, there is no need to go down the same path.

(GMM)