Ben Sulayem says F1 refuelling return under study as FIA engine idea emerges

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has confirmed that Formula 1 is actively studying the possible return of refuelling, while also floating a far more disruptive proposal: an FIA-selected engine supply for customer teams.

Refuelling back on the table

Refuelling has been banned in Formula 1 since 2010, after returning in 1994 following an 11-year absence. Ben Sulayem said the FIA is now examining whether it could be reintroduced, but only if the governing body is satisfied it can be managed properly.

The FIA president linked the idea to the wider direction of F1’s future powertrain mix, referring to sustainable fuel and electrification as part of the same discussion.

“Refuelling, with sustainable fuel, with electrification. Maybe we look at giving more electrification than 10 percent. Really, still, we are open.”

For Formula 1, that openness is significant. Refuelling would represent not merely a sporting adjustment, but a major strategic shift in how races are shaped, how cars are conceived, and how teams approach Grand Prix execution.

FIA-selected engine proposal targets customer-team influence

The more consequential idea concerns power units. Ben Sulayem suggested that the FIA could supply its own FIA-selected engine to customer teams, a move designed to reduce the leverage held by works manufacturers over smaller outfits.

That theme echoes wider discussions around future engine governance, including the FIA’s consideration of third-party engine supply concepts for a cheaper V8 future.

Six teams currently use customer engines. Mercedes supplies McLaren, Williams and Alpine; Ferrari supplies Haas and Cadillac; and Red Bull’s Ford-badged power unit is used by Racing Bulls. Ben Sulayem argued that a single FIA-backed engine for such teams could prevent manufacturers from using supply relationships as political leverage.

“There will be no control over the teams, A-team over the B-team, that’s supplied with their engines,” he said.

“If it is affordable, then we will have one engine for the rest of the B-teams, so nobody can leverage them and tell them to ‘vote this way, or we are not going to give you a good engine’.”

A wider push for change

Earlier this year, Ben Sulayem also raised the prospect of lighter, V8-powered cars for the next major regulation cycle in 2030 or 2031, with a target minimum weight of around 630kg.

Whether refuelling or an FIA-selected engine gains genuine traction remains uncertain. But both ideas reinforce the same message: under Ben Sulayem, the FIA is prepared to question some of Formula 1’s most fundamental competitive and political structures.