FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is setting the stage for one of the most ambitious engineering shake-ups Formula 1 has ever contemplated - an aggressive push to strip the sport’s next-generation cars of bulk, complexity, and cost, while reviving the raw character of V8 power.
In a vision that reads less like incremental regulation and more like a manifesto, the Emirati is targeting a dramatic reduction in car weight and size, with the long-term goal of reshaping both performance and spectacle.
At the heart of it all: lighter machines, simpler engines, and a louder, more visceral F1.
A war on weight, size and complexity
Modern Formula 1 cars tip the scales at around 768kg, a figure swollen by hybrid systems, safety structures, and ever-expanding technical requirements. But for Ben Sulayem, that number is no longer acceptable – and he is pushing for a future where cars could drop to as low as 630kg.
In his view, the current trajectory has taken the sport away from its roots, and the solution is not incremental trimming but a philosophical reset.
"What is the worst thing in the cars now?" Ben Sulayem posed in an interview with French broadcaster Canal+.
"Complexity, more money, expenses, and also a big car. A big and heavy car means what? It means it is not safe.
"We added 50 kilograms because of the safety. But now I would like to see a car, a total, complete car for less than 650 kilograms. My target is 630.
That ambition alone would trigger a seismic engineering challenge across the paddock, forcing teams to rethink everything from chassis design to energy recovery systems.
Yet for the FIA chief, the direction is clear: lighter cars are not just about agility – they are about identity.
The V8 revival plan
Alongside the weight crusade sits an even more controversial pillar: the return of naturally aspirated-style V8 engines, paired with limited electrification and sustainable fuels, a plan previously hammered out by Ben Sulayem and which is apparently gaining traction among F1’s manufacturers.
It is a concept designed to simplify power units, reduce costs, and – crucially – restore the sound that once defined grand prix racing.
"The V8 has to come, you have the power from the ICE engine of maybe 760 horsepower with 10% in it of electrification. That would give it the sound. It would be much cheaper. And R&D, research and development, would be much cheaper,” the FIA chief explained.
"As an engine alone, it would be much lighter, enjoyable, and the sound will come for the spectators, and you run it on sustainable fuels.
For Ben Sulayem, the argument is as much emotional as technical: a belief that Formula 1 risks losing its sensory impact in the pursuit of hybrid sophistication, and that the solution lies in simplifying the formula rather than continually adding layers of complexity.
Modern F1 has built its identity around hybrid efficiency, safety advancement, and technological relevance to road cars. Rolling that back – even partially – would represent a philosophical reversal of recent decades.
Read also: Ben Sulayem hails united effort behind F1’s 2027 engine changesBut Ben Sulayem is framing the issue differently: not as regression, but restoration.
"I can't see where we will get it wrong. The fans [will] have something that we have to give [them] to,” he concluded.
Whether the paddock agrees or resists, the message is unmistakable. The FIA president is not merely tweaking Formula 1’s future – he is attempting to re-engineer its very DNA, one kilogram and one cylinder bank at a time.
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