FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has shared that he’s in favour of bringing back the famous V10 to Formula 1, which was a fan favourite in the past. These engines were used until the 2005 season, after which they did not return to this point.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has shared that he’s in favour of bringing back the famous V10 to Formula 1, which was a fan favourite in the past. These engines were used until the 2005 season, after which they did not return to this point.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has raised the possibility of reintroducing V10 engines to Formula 1, two decades after they were phased out.
The F1 field was last fully powered by V10 engines in 2005. The championship moved to V8s the following year, though Red Bull’s second team, known at the time as Toro Rosso, was permitted to use rev-limited V10s for a single season in 2006.
Ben Sulayem made his comments in a social media post referencing the F1 75 launch event in London, which took place two days ago. “This week’s F1 launch in London has triggered a lot of positive discussion on the future of the sport,” he wrote.
“While we look forward to the introduction of the 2026 regulations on chassis and power unit, we must also lead the way on future technological motorsport trends. We should consider a range of directions including the roaring sound of the V10 running on sustainable fuel.”
F1 will introduce what it calls fully sustainable fuel next year, alongside the first change in power unit regulations since 2014. While the 1.6-litre V6 turbo engines used since then will remain largely unchanged, more powerful electric motors are expected to push power output as high as 820kW (1,100bhp).
Ben Sulayem indicated a return to V10 engines is among future changes to the power unit regulations under consideration.
“Whichever direction is chosen, we must support the teams and manufacturers in ensuring cost control on expenditure,” he said. “Delivering for our members and fans will always be at the heart of all we do alongside important work to make the sport safer and more sustainable for decades to come, ensuring future generations can enjoy F1.”
F1’s new power unit regulations have been credited with attracting more manufacturers to the sport. Audi will enter a full works team next year, Honda will return with Aston Martin and Ford will collaborate with Red Bull on their power unit. Cadillac intend to enter in 2028. However Renault will cease its F1 engine project at the end of this year.
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The countdown to the Australian Grand Prix continues, with the ‘F1 75’ livery event at London’s O2 Arena just two days away. Today, Haas F1 had a shakedown at Silverstone for their new VF-25, not allowing any journalists or cameras in to try and keep their 2025 car a secret. However, a picture was leaked, now showing what the American team challenge will look like for 2025. As well as that, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has expressed his desire to add a 12th team to the F1 grid, plus more from Guenther Steiner’s exclusive interview with GPblog.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the president of the FIA, has spoken about adding another team to the Formula 1 grid. The Emirati was hugely influential in bringing Cadillac and General Motors to the premier class of motorsport for the 2026 season, but Ben Sulayem is hoping to bring yet another competitor to the grid in the foreseeable future.
Rwanda, Thailand and South Africa are but some of the most recent countries interested in hosting an F1 Grand Prix in an already about to burst calendar of 24 races per season. FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem once again states he has a different view to that of the FOM and Liberty Media, current right holders of the Formula One World Championship, of holding a 24 rounds long season.
Clamping down on online hatred – mainly through social media – is one of the spearheads of the policy of Mohammed Ben Sulayem and his administration at the FIA. The motorsport federation recently published a shocking report showing an increase in insults aimed at officials and drivers. The solution? There is none as of yet, courtesy of the tech giants.
The FIA has finalised its plans for race control in the 2025 Formula One season. A few days ago, during a meeting in Madrid, Spain, Mohammed Ben Sulayem revealed that there would be multiple race directors in 2025. For the time being, there will only be one, but according to The Race, a prominent support role, the race director’s right-hand, has already been filled.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem does not think it is necessary to introduce diversity quotas for officials of the governing body. He stressed that people should earn their positions purely on merit.
Like many team principals, McLaren CEO Zak Brown has his own opinions about how to handle swearing in Formula 1. Ahead of the 2025 season, the FIA released new rules regarding the punishments for swearing and thus, the conversation surrounding the controversial topic flared up again.
The FIA could increase censorship of Formula 1 drivers’ radio communications over swearing, president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has indicated.
Ben Sulayem began taking a tough line on drivers’ use of profane expressions last year. Charles Leclerc was fined and Max Verstappen was ordered to perform “public work” at an FIA event in Rwanda for swearing in official FIA press conferences.
The FIA president has indicated the sport’s governing body may go further in its efforts to proscribe drivers’ swearing.
“Do we go on and then shut down the radios of live communication? Maybe,” he said at the FIA officials summit at the Jarama circuit in Spain. “Do we delay it? Maybe.
“There’s a lot of things that would work now with our promoter. FOM are the promoter, the FIA, we are still the owners of the championship.”
Radio messages played on the world television feed are already censored to mask any swearing. The same censorship is not applied to the live onboard feeds from the drivers’ cars on F1 TV, but these messages are delayed so that FOM can choose not to broadcast some. The broadcaster tends to omit messages immediately after a car has crashed or when a driver sounds especially agitated.
The frequency of some drivers’ swearing was highlighted after last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix when Verstappen swore on his radio on at least seven occasions, six of which were broadcast on the world feed, with the profanity ‘bleeped’.
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Drivers have been penalised for some remarks on their radios. Last year Yuki Tsunoda was fined €40,000 (£33,900), half of which was suspended, for using an ableist slur on his radio during the Austrian Grand Prix. Sergio Perez was given a formal warning at the 2023 season finale for saying “the stewards are a joke.”
The FIA revised its rules on “misconduct” ahead of the new season, specifying fines and bans for drivers who break its rules, potentially including the use of profanity.
Ben Sulayem addressed the furore over Verstappen’s penalty last year, claiming the driver enjoyed his work on the FIA’s Affordable Cross Car project in Rwanda.
“When he sat down – and he was nervous – I said, how about injecting back in the society, going and inspiring young girls and boys in Rwanda? [He said] oh please, I will do that.
“He was there, he was happy, he went there, hugged them, and it was a big plus for them. To see Max Verstappen coming to these people in Africa and then inspiring them, giving them the good words. They were so happy.”
The FIA president claimed some reports exaggerated the penalty they planned for Verstappen. “I remember, when the community service was given to Max Verstappen, what did some of the journalists say? They said, the president is going to have him cleaning the toilets.”
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Last year F1 drivers issued an open letter criticising Ben Sulayem over his stance on swearing and other issues. He insisted he has a positive relationship with them.
“Most of the drivers that speak to me, they have my phone, I am the most accessible president ever,” he said. “You will see they speak to me, they are very happy.
“But of course, when I was a driver I used to complain. And when I don’t win, I will complain more. But I tried to be quiet and then wait for the next race to win. So you see, that’s natural, that’s human.
“How do I treat the drivers? Like my sons and my daughters. Honestly, I treat them with passion, with love. I treat them with understanding. I have been there. I want them to succeed.”
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