Verstappen calls for V8 return and IndyCar-style boost to replace DRS in Formula 1

Max Verstappen has called on Formula 1 to abandon its hybrid power units and return to naturally aspirated V8 engines, arguing the change would solve the sport’s longstanding problems with car weight and artificial overtaking. The four-time world champion made the comments during an appearance on the P1 with Matt & Tommy podcast.

Asked to name the single rule change he would make to the sport, Verstappen was unequivocal. “Right now, change the engine back to a V8,” he said. “It fixes so many things. A proper V8 is much better for, in every single scenario — drivability; it’s lighter, much more fun to race with.”

Formula 1 last used V8 engines at the end of the 2013 season, before the current turbo-hybrid era began. The incoming 2026 regulations will deepen that commitment to electrification, introducing a 50/50 power split between the internal combustion engine and the electrical battery — a direction Verstappen clearly opposes.

Beyond the engine question, Verstappen took aim at the Drag Reduction System, the adjustable rear-wing flap introduced in 2011 to encourage overtaking on straights. He argued that a lighter V8, paired with a small electrical boost similar to IndyCar’s push-to-pass system, could make DRS redundant.

“And if you need like a tiny battery for like a push to pass, so we also don’t need the DRS anymore, that’s fine,” he said. Verstappen’s objection to DRS is that it can be “way too powerful in places,” producing passes that require little skill. A manual boost system, he suggested, would return the decision-making to the driver — rewarding bravery under braking rather than a flap opening automatically on a straight.

Formula 1 has previously indicated a potential return to V8 powertrains around 2030, though no formal regulations have been confirmed. Verstappen’s comments add high-profile pressure to that conversation at a moment when the sport is finalising the technical framework for the next generation of cars.