FIA moves F1's V8 return forward a year: 2030 engines to be lighter and cheaper

Ben Sulayem has been vocal about the return of the old technology to F1 and spoke on a panel with Rwandan president Paul Kagame and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali at the event in Kigali that announced the new African Grand Prix.

There was widespread feeling that the turbo hybrids introduced in 2014 would be dropped for V8s but the date was rumoured to be 2031, when the regulation cycle ends.

Ben Sulayem linked the engine change directly to the new race in Africa and said he had the backing he needs to make it happen.

He also gave the first targets for the new formula where he expects cars to be "approximately 80 kilograms lighter", a figure he admitted he maybe "shouldn't be saying" yet. On cost, he is aiming for "at least 50 per cent less in R&D and in the engine."

The faster timeline comes after a difficult first year for the current rules. The 2026 power units split output equally between the combustion engine and the battery. In 2025, the balance had been roughly 80-20 in favour of combustion. The charging and energy-harvesting demands this created were criticised by drivers including Fernando Alonso, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.

The FIA's position has hardened step by step. In May, Ben Sulayem said that V8s would come in either 2030 or 2031. During the Le Mans weekend in June, he said the introduction was planned for 2031 but that the FIA was pushing for 2030.

Nothing is final yet. The FIA has not published a 2030 minimum weight, so the 80kg figure is not in any rulebook. At the FIA press conference in Baku, Audi's Mattia Binotto said: "We know it's a V8 for certain, 2030 the earliest introduction." He added that the regulation "needs to be agreed and voted before the end of the year."

The Rwandan link has its own question mark. It is not clear whether the Bugesera circuit near Kigali will be ready in 2030. Ben Sulayem has given F1 a date. Before the end of the year, the sport has to turn that date into regulations.