Wolff supports F1 move to V8 engines but wary of 'looking ridiculous' in 2031

Mercedes have been the biggest beneficiaries of the 2026 power unit regulations so far, winning all four races of the season after Kimi Antonelli’s third consecutive victory at the Miami GP on Sunday. Wolff, however, was clear that Mercedes are “open to new engine regulations” and that the German brand “loves V8s.”

F1's engine future has increasingly been the subject of heavy debate since the introduction of the 2026 regulations, which introduced a 50:50 split between electrical power and the internal combustion engine, with fans, and drivers such as Lance Stroll, calling for a return to previous engine generations.

During the weekend in Miami, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem raised eyebrows by suggesting the "V8 is coming" , possibly as early as 2030, even if without the approval of PUMs [Power Unit Manufacturers]. F1's move to electrification, following trends in the production car market, is understood to be a key reason for Audi's recent entry into the sport, as well as Honda's U-turn after an initial plan to leave in 2023.

Speaking to media, including GPblog, after the Miami GP, when asked for his thoughts on the new 2026 rule tweaks implemented at the weekend, the Austrian was also quizzed on F1’s wider direction in the future, factoring in the considerable clamour for the return to the V8 engine.

Wolff began defending what he saw in Miami, saying: "Whoever talks about changing engine regs in the short term should question his or her way of assessing Formula 1 at that stage. So spectacular race, fight for the lead, fights in the midfield. I think we were caught on the back foot more than others when it came to energy management and energy department. And it's splendid. There will be tracks that are more energy-starved, clearly, where we just need to make sure that's understood.

Wolff's attention then turned to the long-term, adding that V8s are a "pure Mercedes engine" and that F1 could "count us in" should F1 return to an era it hasn't visited since 2013. Wolff said: "Long-term, I think from a Mercedes standpoint we are open to new engine regulations. We love V8s, that has only great memories. From our perspective it's a pure Mercedes engine, it revs high."

However, the Mercedes boss highlighted the importance of staying in connection with the real world, suggesting battery power would still need to feature on a V8 power unit in order to avoid the sport "looking a bit ridiculous" in the future. Luckily, the Austrian has a few ideas to counter this.

"How do we give it enough energy from the battery side to not lose connection to the real world? Because if we swing 100% combustion, we might be looking a bit ridiculous in 2030 or 2031. So we need to consider that, make it simpler, and make it a mega- engine.

"Maybe we can extract 800 horsepower off the ICE and put 400 on top of it, or more in terms of electric energy, we're absolutely up for it. As long as those discussions happen in a structured way, people's consideration are being taken on board. We recognise the financial realities of OEMs [Original Equipment Manufacturers] these days. We don't have it easy, but if it's well planned and executed, we Mercedes, count us in to come back with a real, real racing engine," Wolff concluded.