Crazy idea Ben Sulayem to defeat team alliances: a standard engine supplied by the FIA

An FIA ‘branded’ engine Everything can be said about FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, but not that he lacks ideas. Speaking to journalists present at Silverstone during the British GP weekend, the number one of the international federation launched a decidedly unusual proposal to counter the policy of the A and B teams which has come under the radar of some managers – McLaren CEO Zak Brown above all – in recent months. Ben Sulayem’s idea, which is closely linked to the return to naturally aspirated V8 engines which should be reintroduced into the Circus starting from 2031, is unusual but simple in its ambition: to appoint an independent supplier who can create and make a standard engine available to the teams, usable by teams that do not have the possibility or will to create or purchase their own engine. Objective: ‘free’ the B teams Obviously realizing this idea with a complex and expensive power unit like the one currently in use would be impossible, but the introduction of V8 engines would change everything. The plan is twofold: to allow ‘customer’ teams to purchase an engine at ‘reduced’ prices and to prevent manufacturers from being able to ‘blackmail’ their customer teams by forcing them to vote according to their own interests. “There would no longer be any control of team A over team B – explained the FIA ​​number one to the website The Race – if it is economically sustainable, we will have an engine for all the B teams, so no one will be able to put pressure on them and say ‘Vote this way, otherwise we won’t give you a good engine’”. “It will be an engine selected by the FIA ​​that the teams will be allowed to use – declared Ben Sulayem – in this way we will control the neutrality, the power and the money. Obviously we will not be able to simply give it away and tell Tizio or Caio to make it. The prices could rise and fall, but the FIA ​​will always be the arbiter”. But Ben Sulayem’s ultimate aim with the introduction of V8 engines – which could have a maximum of 10-15% of electrical component, a sort of KERS – is to reduce costs so that it is convenient for the teams to create their own engine. “McLaren said it could do it and Alpine could also develop its own engine; it would already be two teams. And then there could be new manufacturers, perhaps even more than the current ones. It’s a good thing”, concluded the FIA ​​president.

Automobile Magazine – Formula1 English, News

2026-07-10 06:00:00