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Fernando Alonso is not convinced reintroducing V10 engines to Formula 1 is the right direction for the sport.
The series will introduce new power unit regulations next year. Plans to replace the current V6 hybrids with new versions featuring more powerful kinetic energy were agreed three years ago.
However last month FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem raised the possibility of dropping the hybrids altogether and reintroducing conventional engines. The sport’s governing body is now looking into the possibility of switching to V10 engines as early as 2028.
Alonso, the last driver to win a world championship with a V10 engine 20 years ago, admitted the idea of returning to louder and lighter engines has clear appeal. “Obviously I love the V10 era and the V8 and the sound of those cars that we all miss,” he said.
But he doesn’t believe F1 should regress in terms of the technology used in its cars.
“We’re in a different world now,” he said. “Technology has evolved and we now have incredibly efficient engines that use about one-third of the fuel we used to.”
“We can’t just go against our time and our hybrid era,” he added. “We cannot forget how efficient the cars are now compared to the past. This is something very positive that we have.
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“It’s like saying we could run without the Halo and make the cars more dangerous and [create] more adrenaline for the fans. It doesn’t make sense.
“We move on from certain things, and what we have now is a very good Formula 1 and a very good moment for the sport. So it’s difficult to invent something; we could go into the unknown. It’s difficult to know.”
F1’s future engine format is “more a decision the top management will take – FOM, the FIA, and the manufacturers,” Alonso concluded. “As drivers, we just want to race the fastest cars possible, regardless of the engine. Maybe the fans have something to say as well.”
Ben Sulayem’s predecessor as FIA president Jean Todt was behind the introduction of the current power unit regulations 13 years ago. In 2017 Todt dismissed the idea of going back to V10 engines, predicting “many manufacturers would not support such a move.”
Honda and Audi will join F1 as engine manufacturers next year. Ford will also arrive in partnership with Red Bull’s new power unit division, while Cadillac intends to arrive at a later date. Renault, however, will cease producing F1 engines at the end of the year.
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Pictures: Alonso driving his championship-winning 2005 Renault in 2020
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