FIA mulling F1 refueling comeback and customer engine overhaul

Formula 1 could be heading towards one of its biggest technical shake-ups in years, with the FIA examining the return of refuelling and a potential overhaul of how teams access power units when the next engine regulations arrive.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has confirmed that the governing body is evaluating whether refuelling could become part of a simplified engine package expected to arrive around 2031, as F1 considers moving away from the current turbo hybrid era towards lighter, less complex V8 machinery.

The discussions are still at an early stage, but the potential changes reflect a broader push to reduce costs, cut car weight and reshape the competitive balance between factory teams and their customer operations.

Refuelling considered as F1 targets lighter cars

Refuelling was removed from Formula 1 after the 2009 season, with safety, expense and environmental concerns among the key reasons behind the ban. However, the idea has resurfaced as the sport evaluates naturally aspirated V8 engines for the next generation of cars.

A return to V8 power would likely increase fuel demands compared with today's hybrid units, creating a challenge for the FIA's ambition to significantly reduce vehicle weight. Smaller fuel tanks combined with pit stops could become a way to preserve those weight-saving targets.

Ben Sulayem confirmed the concept is being actively reviewed.

“The refuelling we are studying as we speak,” Ben Sulayem told British media in Silverstone. “It’s not a concern if you do it in the right way. So we are studying this. Nothing is being done yet.

“Refuelling with sustainable fuel with electrification. Maybe we look at giving more electrification than 10 percent. Really, we are still open.”

The FIA has previously pushed for cars to become substantially lighter under future regulations, with reductions of up to 100kg being targeted. The possible combination of sustainable fuel, electrification and refuelling is now part of the wider discussion over how to achieve that goal.

FIA weighs independent engine supply for customer teams

Alongside the technical changes, the FIA is also considering a major rethink of the customer engine model. Rather than teams relying exclusively on rival manufacturers, the governing body is exploring the possibility of an independent, FIA-approved power unit supplier.

Under the current system, customer teams purchase engines from manufacturers competing in F1, creating potential concerns over influence and competitive relationships.

Mercedes currently supplies McLaren, Williams and Alpine, while Ferrari provides power units to Haas and Cadillac. Red Bull Ford Powertrains supplies both Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls, with both teams owned by the Austrian energy drink company.

Ben Sulayem believes an independent option could remove the possibility of manufacturers using engine supply as leverage.

“There will be no control over the teams, A-team over the B-team, that’s supplied with their engines,” he said.

“If it is affordable, then we will have one engine for the rest of the B-teams, so nobody can leverage them and tell them to ‘vote this way, or we are not going to give you a good engine’.”

The FIA president stressed that any such project would require strict oversight to ensure affordability and neutrality.

“It will be an FIA-selected engine that would be allowed to the teams,” he said.

“Then we control the neutrality, we control the power and the money. We cannot just give it away and say go and do it to X, Y, Z. Prices might go up and down, but the FIA will always be the judge.”

• Read also: Ecclestone backs Ben Sulayem’s FIA tenure, praises financial revival

The issue has gained increasing attention within the paddock, with concerns about technical alliances and customer-team independence becoming a recurring topic.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has previously questioned certain manufacturer relationships, while F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has supported the concept of a “white label” engine to provide teams with greater flexibility.

If introduced, an FIA-backed engine supplier would mark a return to a model where independent manufacturers played a larger role in Formula 1, potentially reducing the championship’s dependence on major carmakers while opening the door to a simpler and more affordable future.

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