Formula 1 is heading back to V8 engines in 2030, raising an obvious question for fans who remember the sport before the turbo-hybrid era: will the old sound return with them?
A Racing Culture clip comparing F1 engines has attracted attention as the sport prepares for another change. It moves from the current V6 sound through V8, V10 and V12 machinery before reaching BRM’s extraordinary H16.
The V8 in the clip is much closer to what many fans will associate with F1’s previous V8 era, which ran from 2006 until the end of 2013. But the engine being developed for 2030 will be different.
Will F1’s 2030 V8 sound like the old V8?
F1’s previous V8 regulations specified a 2.4-litre naturally aspirated engine. By the final season in 2013, the maximum engine speed was 18,000rpm. Turbocharging was forbidden.
Current plans for 2030 instead centre on a 3.0-litre turbocharged V8 running on sustainable fuel, with a much smaller electrical element than the power units being used this season.
That distinction matters when it comes to sound. Returning to eight cylinders does not mean F1 is simply bringing back the engines Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and others raced during the previous V8 era.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has nevertheless made sound part of the case for changing the regulations. As Read Motorsport reported when Ben Sulayem revealed the 2030 plan, he also wants the next generation of cars to be around 80kg lighter, with engine and research and development costs cut by at least 50%.
The new formula is being designed around a simpler hybrid system, with reports suggesting electrical output could fall from the current 350kW to around 100kW. Final regulations have not yet been published, however, meaning important details which will influence the character and sound of the engine remain unresolved.
F1’s engine soundtrack has changed repeatedly, as the Racing Culture clip demonstrates. The next V8 will add another one — rather than simply recreating the sound which disappeared at the end of 2013.
For the latest Formula 1 news and analysis, visit Read Motorsport.
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