Follow usThe head of Sauber — soon to be rebranded as Audi’s works team in 2026 — Jonathan Wheatley has made it clear that the German manufacturer will not support any move to bring back V8 engines in Formula 1.
The timing of his comments comes just months before the championship rolls out an all-new generation of power units. These V6 turbo-hybrid systems, running on sustainable fuels, were a central factor in Audi’s decision to commit to the sport.
Yet even before their debut, discussions within F1 have already turned to the possibility of scrapping them in favor of cheaper, simplified V8 engines.
🚨 Audi ‘has not changed’ its position on F1’s engine debate.
The team is not in favour of scrapping the next-gen PU regulations for a return to V8s.Jonathan Wheatley:
“I think fundamentally, there were three pillars that Audi set their entrance into Formula 1 on. One was a… pic.twitter.com/oJbEeWlVKh— Inside Audi F1 (@InsideAudiF1) September 15, 2025
Wheatley was clear about Audi’s stance. “I think fundamentally, there were three pillars that Audi set their entrance into Formula 1 on. One was a highly efficient engine, another one was advanced hybrid technology, and sustainable fuels. So I don’t think our position has changed on that.”
“And as far as I know, we’re going to stay in that position for a very long time.”
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