Cadillac breaks silence on F1's radical 'return to V10' proposal

Cadillac executive engineering consultant Pat Symonds has opposed F1's alleged plans to switch back to V10 engines by eliminating the new power unit regulation changes, set to be effective in 2026. Symonds opined that the V10 is not a good racing engine and extending the current regulation is not feasible for new teams.

F1 had earlier announced that engine and power unit regulations will be overhauled from the 2026 season. The new engines will have a 50-50 share of electric power and internal combustion engines. Moreover, the new power units will run on sustainable fuels.

However, recently, rumors surfaced that F1 is reportedly planning to scrap the upcoming regulations and instead bring back V10 engines and get them to run on sustainable fuels.

Amid the debate on whether it's the right move, Cadillac executive engineering consultant Pat Symonds has opposed the idea. He deemed V10 engines not fit for racing and argued that F1 must not take a step backward.

Talking to BlackBook Motorsport Forum, he said (via Auto Racer):

“I think there are a lot of unrealizable wishes. Personally, I think that the V10 is not a good racing engine. Probably a V8 is. We must not go back to a V8, a V10, or a V12. We have learned so much about using these power units, and we know how to use them best. We must not take steps backwards, but continue to push forward."

He added that many teams have already made significant investments in manufacturing the 2026 power unit, and any last-minute changes would lead to heavy loss:

"With the investments made by everyone on the 2026 engines, it would be negligent to throw everything away. Especially for new teams and manufacturers like Cadillac, Audi, and Red Bull Powertrains, who started from scratch."

The General Motors-backed team has been confirmed as the 11th entrant in F1 starting from the 2026 season, where they will race with Ferrari engines.

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Cadillac engineer against the idea of extending current regulation

Cadillac City Center Store in Shangha - Source: Getty

F1 is reportedly planning to bring back V10 engines and scrap the upcoming 2026 engine regulation changes. However, that would mean that the present regulations would have to be extended, which might not suit the new teams.

In 2026, Cadillac and Audi will make their F1 debuts. Hence, the General Motors team's executive engineering consultant, Pat Symonds, has opposed the idea of extending present regulations:

“Someone like Audi could say, 'well, they don't last that long, we're going away,' and leave. We are designing it to have a 2026 Ferrari engine. I don’t think a 2025 Ferrari engine would fit in that car."

So far, F1 has not confirmed their plans to switch back to V10 engines anytime soon. All teams are reportedly still actively working on manufacturing an engine as per 2026 regulation changes.