Damon Hill explains why fans are wrong to think V8 engine return could be F1’s saving grace

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Damon Hill has shared his opinion on Formula 1 returning to V8-powered engines in 2030, highlighting that they weren’t as good as current fan sentiment suggests.

Despite the current F1 regulations being just a few months old, there is already a lot of talk in the paddock about which engine formula the sport will adopt next. The 2026 campaign began shrouded in frustrations, so officials are keen on getting it right from the outset.

Should F1 make small tweaks to the rules, rather than major changes?

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FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has expressed his interest in bringing naturally aspirated V8 engines back into the fold, following their exit from the regulations at the end of the 2013 season.

The notion is seemingly picking up some traction, with former Red Bull chief Helmut Marko ‘certain’ that F1 will utilise V8s from 2030. While many would love a return to the loud and aggressive engines of old, Damon Hill has explained why it may not be the perfect solution.

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Damon Hill assures fans that V8 engines are not the solution

During BBC Radio 5 Live’s coverage of FP3 in Monaco, F1 pundit Damon Hill expressed his dismay at the sport potentially returning to a similar sort of engine formula to the 2006 – 2013 era.

“I had retired by the time the V8 engines came in – I only used the V10 – but I have to say, I didn’t like the V8s, I thought they made so much noise,” the 1996 F1 world champion said.

“Most of it was noise and not enough oomph. It was a very smallish engine making a lot of noise and revving very high.”

Hill’s verdict echoes the common sentiment that surrounded the introduction of V8 engines in 2006, with the majority of fans and paddock figures collectively mourning the disappearance of the roaring V10s.

Still, the former driver understands that fans may still want them back, but assured them that it may not be the correct solution to the current annoyances with F1’s turbo-hybrid power units.

“They’ll be listening to me going, ‘No, we love them!’ but to me, it appears to be loud, for one thing, and I didn’t think the cars seem to have the punch that you get from a lower-revving, bigger engine,” he finished.

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‘No one’ in the F1 paddock wants naturally aspirated engines back in the sport

Hill was joined by F1 journalist Andrew Benson in the BBC’s commentary box, who shed more light on the situation regarding Ben Sulayem’s push to reintroduce V8s to the sport. He noted how the paddock sentiment was largely negative.

“Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the FIA President, definitely wants the V8 to come back because he wants noise and drama,” he said. “He hasn’t really provided a proper logical justification for why that should be the case.

“My reading of the paddock politics is that no one really wants naturally aspirated engines to come back for a whole bunch of different reasons.”

In a BBC report by Benson last week regarding the notion, he highlighted how Audi and Mercedes are in agreement over F1 engines continuing to be turbocharged, rather than naturally aspirated.

They will likely be Ben Sulayem’s biggest opponents in getting the initiative passed, so it is likely to be an evolving situation as the deadline draws closer.