Mohammed Ben Sulayem emphasised the role Formula 1's governing body will play in turning around the current unsatisfactory, exorbitant and highly complex engine rules that have plagued the sport, looking to implement a replacement solution a year before 2030, when current rules are set to expire.

In a wide-ranging interview with Forbes reporter Matt Craig, released on YouTube today, Federation Internationale de l'Automobile President Ben Sulayem delivered a robust defence of motorsport’s governing body while signalling a dramatic future shift in Formula 1 engine philosophy.

During the interview recorded ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, Ben Sulayem stressed that despite Liberty Media’s commercial success and Formula 1’s booming popularity, "If the FIA goes, Formula 1 goes with it. It’s very simple. No FIA, no Formula 1.

"If you remove me, there is Formula 1. You remove FOM, there is no Formula 1. If you remove the FIA, there is no Formula 1. It’s as simple as this. The FIA will never get fans. We are not there to have fans. We are there to be fair with everyone.”

Ben Sulayem also used the interview to push for a major rethink of Formula 1’s long-term engine direction, openly backing a return to V8 power units powered by sustainable fuels: “We talked about the V8, and I’m now thinking more of bringing the V8 back."

The Emirati suggested the FIA could gain the authority to shape engine regulations without requiring manufacturer approval from the end of 2030: “At the end of 2030 the FIA gets back the power to do the engine without even having to go through a vote. But we would like to make it one year earlier.”

The whole world is looking at EVs in a different way now

Ben Sulayem questioned whether Formula 1’s current path toward heavier hybrid systems and increased electrification: “The whole world is looking at EVs in a different way now. It’s not the only way. Sustainable fuel, biofuel, you can have a small electric in it and make it a clean engine.”

Affordability also emerged as a central concern throughout the discussion, with Ben Sulayem warning that escalating development costs threaten the long-term health of the sport: “R&D is costing over €200 million. These units are not being seen in normal cars. To sustain the business, what you see at the top is nice, but we have to have solid ground, a good foundation, which is the cost.”

The FIA president also called for Formula 1 cars to become significantly lighter in future generations: “Weight is a killer when it comes to safety. Now they are 30 kilograms lighter, but that’s not enough.”

Ben Sulayem outlined a vision for future Formula 1 machinery built around simplicity, lower costs and reduced mass.

“Make it approximately 600 to 620 kilograms total weight, an engine that goes to 780 horsepower with a good sound, not noise, affordable, and look how we can sustain Formula 1,” he said.

The interview offered one of Ben Sulayem’s clearest indications yet of where the FIA wants to take Formula 1 beyond the current hybrid era, with lighter cars, simpler engines, sustainable fuels and lower costs emerging as central pillars of his long-term vision for the sport.

How much the current Formula 1 eleven teams, the engine manufacturers and, of course, Liberty Media, aka Stefano Domenicali, align with Ben Sulayem's plan for the sport.