Ben Sulayem targets 630kg F1 cars with V8 return

Mohammed Ben Sulayem says Formula 1’s next major rules shift should go far beyond the current 2026 engine tweaks, with the FIA president targeting a 630kg minimum weight and a return to V8 power with just 10% electrification for 2031.

In an interview with Canal+, Ben Sulayem said the current generation has become too heavy, too complex and too expensive. “What is the worst thing in the cars now? Complexity, more money, expenses, and also a big car,” he said. “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 would represent a huge cut from the 2026 minimum weight of 768kg. Even after Formula 1 reduced the limit from last season’s 800kg level, Ben Sulayem’s target would still require more than 100kg to come out of the cars while keeping modern crash structures and safety standards in place.

He tied that goal directly to a different engine philosophy. “The V8 has to come,” Ben Sulayem said, outlining a concept built around “maybe 760 horsepower” from the internal-combustion engine with “10 per cent” electrification. He argued that package would be lighter, much cheaper in research and development, and would bring back the engine sound for spectators.

The push comes while Formula 1 is already reworking the still-new 2026 power-unit framework after criticism of its heavy hybrid emphasis. The original concept was close to a 50-50 split between combustion and electrical power, but the agreed direction is now to move to 58% thermal and 42% electric in 2027, then 60-40 in 2028, subject to World Motor Sport Council ratification on 23 June.

Ben Sulayem’s broader argument is that lighter cars and simpler engines would answer several of the complaints already being made about modern F1 machinery. Lewis Hamilton has said the cars are “still heavy,” while Max Verstappen has argued they should be “100-150 kilos lighter.” By linking a big weight reduction to sustainable fuel, lower hybrid reliance and a cheaper V8 formula, Ben Sulayem is trying to set the terms of the 2031 debate around cost, drivability and the kind of car Formula 1 wants on its grid.