Mercedes boss Toto Wolff thinks Formula 1 ought to “push the pause button” on talk of reintroducing V10 engines to the sport.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem hosted a fact-finding meeting with F1 stakeholders and OEM chiefs in Bahrain last Friday.
Ben Sulayem had proposed a reintroduction of V10 engines, last seen in 2005, but with sustainable fuels in the near future.
The idea came from concerns surrounding the cost of next year’s 2026 hybrids, and a notion was floated to curtail the incoming engine formula by the matter of a few years.
Mercedes had been considered as one of the OEMs opposing a V10 reintroduction ahead of the Bahrain meeting.
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Last Friday’s meeting in Bahrain suggests F1 ought to stick with the plan to run the 2026 engines through their intended life cycle, make the best of them and think forward as to what the next formula should be from 2031.
Wolff was asked if that was the right course of action, to which he told select media, including Motorsport Week, “That’s exactly what we need to do. I think pause, push the pause button, see how next year goes.
“The engines are sophisticated. F1 engines with 50% electric is super challenging, but at the same time, if that goes well and flies, we are trailblazers in the auto industry.”
Beyond the 2026 engine formula, which retains the current 1.6 litre turbo V6 hybrid model with some significant changes, such as the removal of the MGU-H system, increased electrification and sustainable fuels, Wolff noted two important factors F1 must consider.
F1 must consider road relevance and entertainment, according to Mercedes boss
For the subsequent engine formula, Wolff cites road relevance and entertainment as the prevalent ideals in deciding what comes next.
So once the 2026 engines are up and running, Wolff said, “then let’s look at what the next regulatory cycle can be, what kind of engines we believe are road-relevant, number one, and number two, which engines are best for the show.
“And I think that is always going to be the prevailing factor,” he continued.
“So contrary to what you would think, is that the road-relevance of a car manufacturer is the main thing.
“The show has an equal weighting in our decisions, so we’re open-minded of what it could be.”
Speaking of the show, raucous V10s were a pulse-raising highlight of F1 from 1989 through 2005, and many would be happy to see them return.
In conversation with Sky Sports F1, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner said the “romanticist” in him would like to see V10s return, but in a responsible manner.
“I think the romanticist in me, you know, a screaming V10 could be really attractive for Formula 1. But, it’s got to be done responsibly,” he said.
“And with electrification as well, you know, what does that engine look like? And is it a [V]10?
“Is it an eight? There’s so much… And that was really the discussion this morning is, what does the future potentially look like?
“And it’s now down to the different manufacturers and PUMs [power unit manufacturers] to feed back to the FIA and then digest that.”
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