Drivers Split Over Potential V10 Comeback

Top Formula 1 drivers are split over whether the sport should bring back light, loud, crowd-pleasing V10 engines sooner rather than later.

Reports are circulating suggesting Liberty Media, the FIA, and some of the teams are advocating for delaying the all-new engine rules for 2026 in order to accelerate the return of normally-aspirated V10s running on sustainable fuel from 2028.

“It’s no secret – the V6 sound was never good,” Lewis Hamilton said in Shanghai.

He, like Max Verstappen, recalled the first time he saw F1 cars way back in 1996, revealing: “My whole chest vibrated.

“It was the most overwhelming thing I’ve ever felt and heard,” added Hamilton. “Unfortunately, over the years, that’s been lost.”

The current turbo hybrid ‘power units’ have proved heavy, expensive, and the Ferrari driver even wonders if, “given the batteries we’ve been using, we can really say they’re that sustainable”.

Verstappen fully agrees, even admitting that the idea of racing V10 engines could keep him in Formula 1 beyond his current contract. “Maybe, yes,” said the quadruple world champion.

“It’s certainly a lot more exciting than what we have now. I remember when I was a kid, hearing the sound of the engines, it gave you so much more, even though the cars might have been slower.

“The feeling that an engine like that gave you is something you can’t describe compared to what we have now.”

F1 veteran Fernando Alonso has actually raced throughout the sport’s transition from V10s to V8s to the current V6s, but he admitted in China that he is “not sure” going backwards is the right move.

“Obviously, I love the V10 era and the V8 and the sound of those cars that we all miss,” said the Spaniard. “At the same time, we’re in a different world now.

“Technology has evolved, and we now have incredibly efficient engines that use about one-third of the fuel we used to. We can’t just go against our time and our hybrid era. It’s like saying we could run without the Halo and make the cars more dangerous and more adrenaline for the fans,” the 43-year-old added.

One major issue is that if F1 really does delay the 2026 era, Audi would not have an engine to use from next year. “I’ve heard the discussions,” said Audi-owned Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg.

“But I think it’s just talk. The regulations for 2026 are set in stone. At least that’s what I assume.”