Ecclestone backs V8 push and says Verstappen was right to criticise F1 engine rules

Bernie Ecclestone has thrown his weight behind a proposed shift to V8 engines in Formula 1, backing FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali in their push for bigger, louder and cheaper power units by 2030 or 2031. The former F1 supremo made his comments to select media at the Austrian Grand Prix.

“There’s one of the two things which I hope [Ben Sulayem] is going to do in the future,” Ecclestone said. “A three-litre engine. I don’t care if it’s a V8 or a V10 or a V12. I think probably all of you would be happy with that. I think it’s the right thing to do.”

The FIA has been openly keen to move away from the current highly complex hybrid power unit architecture for the sport’s next rules cycle, which is formally scheduled for 2031 but could be brought forward if F1’s manufacturers agree. The growing availability of sustainable fuels, combined with a shift in the automotive industry’s appetite for full electrification, has made a return to high-revving, high-cylinder engines a more viable proposition. A V8 with a simplified hybrid component is also expected to reduce costs significantly.

Ecclestone, who departed the championship roughly a decade ago when Liberty Media acquired the series, also defended four-time world champion Max Verstappen’s repeated criticism of the current power unit regulations. Verstappen has frequently linked his long-term F1 future to whether the cars become more engaging to drive and less reliant on energy management. F1 has already announced it will adjust the combustion-to-electric power ratio to 58/42 for next season, following smaller tweaks agreed in May.

“He was right criticising,” Ecclestone said of Verstappen. “I think the regulations weren’t necessary to do what has been done. And that’s what Max was complaining about.”

On the question of whether F1’s manufacturers — whose backing is essential for any rule change of this magnitude — would ultimately fall into line, Ecclestone was optimistic. “I think the manufacturers will come on board, because it’s obvious,” he said, acknowledging that teams controlled by manufacturers would be slower to publicly commit than independent outfits.