Wolff joins Vasseur in playing down V10 chatter

Mar.4 (GMM) Toto Wolff has joined his fellow team boss Frederic Vasseur in playing down excited talk about the potential return of screaming V10 engines to Formula 1.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali hinted at the move last year, with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem agreeing in the last few days that reverting to loud, light normally-aspirated engines may be possible due to the sport’s move to 100 percent sustainable fuel.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner backs the idea.

“The pure racing fan in me would love to see a return to V10 engines, if it were done responsibly and with sustainable fuel,” he said.

However, Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur responded by insisting it is “too early” to talk about the engine regulations of 2030 or 2031 when F1 is about to switch to even more radically-hybrid ‘power units’ for 2026 and beyond.

“We have not yet introduced the next generation of engines and there are still some huge issues on the table in this regard. We should focus on that first,” said the Frenchman.

Mercedes team boss and co-owner Wolff agrees, declaring that the focus should be on championing the looming engine rule change.

“We are pushing the boundaries of battery technology and, in terms of sustainability, this (2026) is the first year that we have 100 percent sustainable fuel,” he said. “Nobody knows what all this will lead to.

“F1 is a pioneer. All stakeholders should be happy about that and make sure that the sport is seen as the high-tech sport that it should be. At the moment, I think that is a bit premature,” added the Austrian, referring to the latest V10 chatter.

“We risk drowning out the message that we want to send to the world if, a year before the new regulations, we talk about something that will come much later,” Wolff said.