Racing
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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said in Miami that the team is “fully in favor” of a future Formula 1 return to V8 engines, but only if the sport keeps a significant electrical element rather than reverting to pure combustion.
Speaking to PlanetF1.com, Wolff backed the broader direction being discussed as FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem pushes the idea of a V8 comeback for 2030 or 2031. The debate has gathered momentum amid dissatisfaction across the paddock over the 2026 power-unit rules and growing interest in a simpler long-term engine formula.
Wolff made clear Mercedes is not resisting a major shift. “From a Mercedes perspective, we are open to the new engine regulations,” he said. “We love the V8. We have great memories. From our point of view, that was a pure Mercedes engine, revving all the way up.”
What he does not want is a full retreat from hybrid technology. Wolff warned that Formula 1 risks losing relevance if it goes “100% ICE” by the start of the next decade, saying that would look “a bit ridiculous” in 2030 or 2031. For him, the challenge is not whether a V8 can return, but how the sport keeps enough battery energy in the package to preserve a link to road-car technology.
His answer was an aggressive hybrid concept built around much higher total output. Wolff suggested F1 could “make it simpler and make a mega engine,” with “800 horsepower from the ICE” and “400 horsepower, or even more electrical energy” added on top. That would point to a power unit in the region of 1,200 horsepower while still keeping electrification central to the formula.
Wolff said Mercedes would support that direction if the process is handled properly and manufacturers are given a framework that reflects current cost pressures. He said the company understands “the financial realities of the OEMs” and added that, if the project is well planned and executed, Mercedes would be ready “to come back with a real, a real racing engine.”
He also drew a line under any attempt to rewrite the rules immediately. Wolff rejected short-term changes to the engine regulations and said those pushing for that should “question how they judge F1 at that point in time.” That leaves Mercedes backing a V8 return as a post-2030 project, but only if Formula 1 uses it to build a more powerful hybrid future rather than revive the past unchanged.