Former Ferrari Formula 1 team-mates Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc have made their feelings clear on next year’s 2026 engine rules, preferring a return to raucous V10s.
Why are we talking about reintroducing a 20-year-old engine formula before next year’s rules have even begun?
Well, the 2026 power units, an evolution of the current hybrid powertrain, minus the MGU-H system, plus sustainable fuels and a far greater amount of electrification, are drawing up several concerns.
The new power units are proving complex, costly, and there are fears that the 50/50 power split between internal combustion and electric could pave the way for energy conservation in races.
Moreover, some OEMs are concerned that a 2014 dominance, akin to Mercedes’ triumph in the early days of hybrid, could occur next year.
As a result, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem talked up the idea of scrapping the 2026 rules early in favour of a return to V10s with sustainable fuels.
Cheaper, noisier, and let’s face it, cooler.
Alas, after Honda and Audi expressed their displeasure at such a move and following a Friday meeting between F1 stakeholders and OEMs, any plans for V10s have been shelved for the time being, in favour of finding solutions to the problems posed by next year’s regulations.
READ MORE – F1 V10 plan postponed amid desire to make a success of 2026 engines
This will come as a disappointment to Sainz and Leclerc, who both voiced opposition to the 2026 engine plans on Thursday.
What the drivers think about V10s versus F1 2026 PUs
Sainz, who sat in Thursday’s Bahrain Grand Prix press conference, was asked to give his opinion and said, “I wouldn’t be too vocal supporting the comeback of a V10 engine if I liked what I saw from 2026.”
The Spaniard added “But as I don’t really like what I see from 2026 in terms of what the car is going to do, the engine’s going to do, the way everything is going to work, I would say yes—I would like a V10 engine with a few tweaks to make it back sooner rather than later.”
However, Sainz pointed out that the 2026 rules need a fair chance to shine.
“It’s not fair to not give those regulations a bit of a chance, if everyone believes they are so good,” he continued.
“But everyone seems to believe that they are not so good anymore—that’s why everyone’s talking about it again.
“So a bit of a strange one, no? Let’s see where it goes. It’s not up to me. It’s politics. The big bosses will decide.”
The big bosses decided, and as Sainz implied, that the 2026 F1 rules will get a chance to prosper, with solutions being discussed to mitigate concerns of costs, performance, and convergence.
Ferrari’s Leclerc, who spent four years racing alongside Sainz before his move to Williams, was asked to give his take on the back of the Spaniard’s remarks.
“I can definitely tell you what I think. I think V10 will be great,” he told select media, including Motorsport Week.
“What I’ve been seeing for next year is not something that is particularly exciting for me, and I’ll say most of us are sharing the same opinion.
“Maybe some will be more vocal than others for different reasons, but yeah, I think we all agree that V10 will be a much better solution.”
Leclerc conceded that drivers don’t really have a say in such matters, and how F1 will have to deal with the consequences of its decision-making.
“But yeah, we’ll go with what we are told to do, really, so I don’t think we have much say as drivers in these kinds of discussions, but it’s clear that for now, what we are looking at is not great – not only for racing, but for everything really,” he said.
“Even in terms of safety, in some cases it’s quite tricky, so these are things that I think the FIA will look at, but I still don’t know if there’s enough time to tackle those things.
“I think this choice has been made, now, and we’ve got to deal with it in the best possible way, and our goal will be to be as competitive as possible, but yeah, from a driver point of view, it’s not that exciting.”
Indeed, F1 and the FIA decided on these rules in 2022, which enabled them to attract the likes of Audi and Ford (in collaboration with Red Bull), plus the return of Honda.
The sport’s kingmakers then had to design the chassis and aero regulations around the problems posed by the power units, which is why we will be seeing movable aero at the front and rear of next year’s cars.
F1 is at an all-time high in terms of popularity and stature, its rude health evident by the likes of Audi, Honda and even Cadillac wanting a slice.
But attracting OEMs is one thing; the lifeblood of a sport is fan interest, and it’s imperative the show doesn’t suffer at the whim of manufacturers.
READ MORE – Carlos Sainz describes why F1 2026 rules reset is ‘a pity’
