Despite calling on naysayers of Formula 1‘s new regulations to “hide” after the Miami Grand Prix, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff also proposed the idea of a powerful “mega-engine”, amid the anticipation of a return to V8s.
F1 returned to action after a five-week break in the Sunshine State, with “refinements” to its much-maligned power unit regulations hoping to placate those dissatisfied with them.
But over the race weekend, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem placed the feral and purring cat amongst the pigeons by outlining a timeframe to reintroduce V8 engines in 2031.
This drew a wave of excitement amongst many fans, and most likely many drivers too, with Lando Norris, despite confirming the refinements were a step in the right direction, said after the race: “Just get rid of the battery. Hopefully, in a few years, that’s the case.”
And despite his ominous warning, Wolff was more than forthcoming to the idea of returning to V8 engines, but went a step further and suggested a beast that includes further electrical power.
“From a Mercedes standpoint, we are open to new engine regulations. We love V8s, that has only great memories, and from our perspective, it is a pure Mercedes engine.
“It revs high [but] then how do we give it enough energy from the battery side to not lose a connection to the real world? Because if we swing 100% to combustion, we might end up looking a bit ridiculous in 2031, or 2030. So we need to consider that and make it a mega-engine.
“Maybe we can extract 800 horsepower from the ICE and put 400 on top of it, or more, in terms of electric energy. We are absolutely up for it, as long as those discussions happen in a structured way, and people’s considerations are taken on board.
“We recognise the financial realities of OEMs these days, we don’t have it easy. But if it’s well planned and executed, count Mercedes in to come back with a real, real racing engine.”
Despite many defending the controversial new regs, it is very noticeable that even they are largely excited by the prospect of F1 returning to its roots.
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