Formula 1’s new power unit rules have failed to win over all drivers, but they do not necessarily see V10s as a solution either.
The series agreed three years ago to change its V6 hybrid turbo regulations in 2026. The MGU-H has been dropped but the MGU-K will become more powerful, roughly on a par with the combustion engine.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem appeared to cool on the new rules earlier this year, calling for discussions for a swift move away from the power units back to the normally aspirated V10s last seen 20 years ago.
Carlos Sainz Jnr admitted he has concerns about the performance of next year’s power units.
“I wouldn’t be too vocal supporting the comeback of a V10 engine if I liked what I saw from 2026,” he said. “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 that yes I would like a V10 engine with a few tweaks sooner rather than later.”
However he said F1 must stick with the planned introduction of new power units next year. “It’s not fair to not give those regulations a bit of a chance, if everyone believes they are so good. 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.”
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Oscar Piastri acknowledged “it’s pretty well-publicised that there’s been some challenges to overcome” and believes “we as drivers have an important role to play in trying to make next year’s regulations as successful as possible.”
“But this is what we have for next year and for the years to come and I think we need to try and do the best job we can to make the sport exciting, make the cars as fun as possible to drive, make the racing good.”
He said the series should be wary of talking down the new power unit rules before seeing their effect upon racing next year.
“I think going into a new set of regulations already speaking about another potential eventuality, we just need to be a bit careful and not downplay what we are going to have for the next few years to come.
“I’ll drive whatever I get given. I’m a Formula 1 driver and I’ll always be happy to drive in the pinnacle of the sport. But let’s wait and see.”
The 24-year-old said he understood the “romanticism about V10 engines” even though “I wasn’t old enough yet to hear them when they were racing.”
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“I don’t have quite the same nostalgia, but it would still be a cool thing to have, of course,” he added.
While Esteban Ocon believes F1 could still have hybrid power but achieve a more impressive sound by removing turbos.
“Nobody thought about having a naturally-aspirated engine with a hybrid system like they do in some road cars — for example the [Aston Martin] Valkyrie or the LaFerrari. It was more of a KERS system that they had.
“We could be running a naturally aspirated engine — V6, V8, whatever, even a five-cylinder would sound great, even a three-cylinder would sound great. But the issue is the turbo. That’s what takes the sound out of the car.”
F1 teams, the FIA and Formula One Management are set for further discussions this weekend over series’ future power unit rules and the possibility of a return to V10s.
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