FIA Explores Independent Engine and V8 Return for 2030 F1 Cycle

The FIA is actively exploring options for a dramatic overhaul of Formula 1's powertrain rules, including an affordable, independent engine for customer teams and a potential return to V8s and refueling when the next regulatory cycle kicks off in 2030 or 2031.

Why it matters:

Works teams have long used engine supply agreements as leverage over smaller customer outfits, influencing everything from technical alliances to sporting votes. Breaking that grip is now a central mission for FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who views a standardized, cost-capped power unit as the most direct path to leveling a grid increasingly split between powerful manufacturers and dependent B-teams.

The details:

• The proposal centers on an "FIA-selected engine" built to a standard, off-the-shelf specification, much like the Cosworth units that carried HRT, Caterham, and Virgin Racing onto the grid in 2010.
• Grid dynamics: As the 2026 season unfolds, Mercedes HPP supplies four teams while Ferrari powers three, concentrating enormous political and competitive influence in the hands of a few manufacturers.
• Ben Sulayem told Reuters that an affordable independent option would prevent works teams from withholding performance or dictating how customer squads vote on key regulations.
• Refueling revival: The FIA is also studying the return of in-race refueling, which disappeared after 2009, with plans to integrate sustainable fuels and potentially push electrification levels higher than the current targets.

What's next:

These proposals remain in early discussions, and fierce pushback from manufacturers is inevitable given their massive investments in hybrid technology. Still, the FIA's willingness to question the fundamental economics of engine supply suggests a real appetite for change. Expect intense negotiations through the remainder of 2026 and beyond as stakeholders battle to define F1's identity for the 2030s.