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Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali believes the sport’s next major regulatory cycle must be shaped through sustained discussion, with enough time for teams, manufacturers, drivers, fans and the FIA to reach a workable agreement.
The FIA retains final responsibility for the technical regulations. Its president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, has indicated that Formula 1 could return to V8 engines for the cycle after the current rules, potentially in 2030 or 2031. However, the framework for that future package must be presented soon if manufacturers are to assess the opportunities available to them.
The current 2026 regulations were first unveiled as far back as 2022. Domenicali expects a framework for the following cycle to be in place by the end of this calendar year, but he stressed that the process matters as much as the eventual technical outcome.
“I think that for me, the most important thing is that there is the right time to debate,” Domenicali told media, including RacingNews365.
He acknowledged that the FIA has the final call on the technical rules, while arguing that the wider consultation is now moving in the right direction. His comments follow a shift in the mood surrounding the 2026 regulations, which he said had initially been met by significant concern before attitudes changed.
Domenicali identified simplicity, lighter cars, sustainable fuel and electrification as the central aims for Formula 1’s future. Just as importantly, he wants drivers to retain the ability to push as hard as possible in certain modes—an element he said has consistently been requested by the competitors.
“All the other technicalities, I will rely on the FIA to prepare the right thing,” he said, adding that a package should be ready for discussion before the end of the year.
That timetable is significant because waiting until the end of the cycle in 2031 would leave the FIA free to present a substantially different regulation, with teams then choosing whether to participate. Domenicali described that scenario as an exaggeration, but said it illustrated the principle behind bringing the conversation forward.
The governance question is therefore becoming as important as the headline engine debate. If consensus develops around anticipating the next rules cycle, Domenicali said the sport must establish how teams and manufacturers will be involved. As he recently explained in his defence of F1’s regulatory direction, the challenge is balancing change with the sport’s competitive identity.
“By the end of the year, we're going to be in a position to have the right package for the future,” Domenicali said.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.