Audi CEO Signals Openness To V8 Engines In Future F1 Regulations

Audi CEO Gernot Dollner has confirmed the German manufacturer has no fundamental objection to V8 engines potentially being introduced under future Formula 1 regulations.
Discussions about the next F1 regulatory cycle are already well underway, with that framework formally scheduled to begin in 2031 but potentially arriving earlier if enough support is gathered.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali have both spoken positively about the prospect of V8 engines running on sustainable fuels with a reduced electrical component.
Domenicali has also argued that Formula 1 should become less reliant on OEMs when shaping future regulations, though he acknowledged that broad manufacturer support remains essential for the sport.
Dollner addressed the V8 question directly, pointing to Audi’s own road car lineup as evidence the brand holds no ideological resistance to the configuration.
“Yes, why shouldn’t we accept that? I mean, the Nuvolari has a V8 so we don’t have problems with V8 engines,” Dollner said, referring to the new hybrid supercar Audi officially launched recently.
Dollner was careful to place that acceptance within a broader context, warning against reducing complex regulatory discussions to a single question about cylinder count.
“But you have to see that in the overall context. To just pick one question of a regulation is not really answering the overall question of where do you want to go with the regulation,” he added.
For Audi, the preservation of turbocharging and energy efficiency carries far greater importance than any debate over the number of cylinders in a future engine formula.
“That’s definitely more important than talking about the number of cylinders. That’s crystal clear from an Audi perspective. We prefer turbo due to the efficiency aspect. That is more important than the number of cylinders,” Dollner explained.
Sustainability also remains a core pillar of Audi’s F1 vision, with Dollner insisting it must remain central to whatever regulatory framework emerges from the FIA-led process.
“Talking about Formula 1 regulations, the most important aspect for Audi is that we keep the idea of being sustainable and having a regulation that has energy efficiency in the focus as a main pillar of Formula 1 regulations,” he said.
Audi entered Formula 1 during a period of strong industry-wide enthusiasm for electrification, but Dollner acknowledged that the broader automotive landscape has since shifted considerably.
The Audi CEO noted that his own company had already revised what were once very ambitious electrification targets, reflecting a wider recalibration across the entire automotive sector.
“In the automotive industry there was a global push towards electrification. Now we have a little bit of a backswing, but to put that into perspective, on the long end we will still see more and more electrification in the world,” Dollner said.
He confirmed that combustion engines will remain relevant in high-performance cars for the foreseeable future, describing Formula 1’s use of sustainable fuels as proof that combustion and sustainability can coexist.
“For the next one or two, maybe three decades, we will still see combustion engines in high performance cars. That’s for sure. Formula 1, with the sustainable fuels, is showing that you can have a combustion engine and be sustainable at the same time. I’m not surprised by that discussion.”
Dollner described Audi’s own strategic pivot as directly mirroring the direction Formula 1 appears to be heading, with flexibility across combustion, hybrid, and electric technologies now forming the core of the brand’s approach.
Ultimately, Audi’s acceptance of a V8 future in F1 hinges on the overall regulatory direction satisfying its key priorities, with Dollner expressing confidence in the process: “We trust the process and we believe that the result will be a regulation where Audi is able to tick all the boxes.”
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