F1 looking at radical change to address boring races: Reports

F1 is reportedly considering bringing key changes related to tire compounds to promote more pit stops. These changes are aimed at adding more entertainment to race weekends, with one-stop races seemingly becoming boring and predictable.

Formula 1 has been largely predictable so far this year, with McLaren having a pace advantage over others. The Papaya team has won four of the five opening weekends, while Red Bull won in Japan.

Meanwhile, according to The Race, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali met Pirelli tire supplier's motorsport director Mario Isola in Jeddah to discuss radical changes for the remainder of the 2025 season. The duo reportedly discussed ideas to promote multi-pit-stop strategies amid concerns of boring and predictable race weekends.

Pirelli introduced a much softer tire compound for the Saudi Arabian GP to induce high degradation. However, teams these days have aced tire wear management, which prompted Pirelli to debut new C6 soft tires at the Imola Grand Prix.

Apart from this, Pirelli might try another idea by offering non-consecutive tire choices. It could likely offer C2, C4, and C5 instead of C3, C4, and C5. This way, the harder tire would be slower, and teams might be encouraged to pit more often.

If the problem is not resolved with new tire compounds, F1 might have to explore the possibility of changing the pit lane speed limit. Currently, the speed limit for driving through pit lane is 80 km/h, which could be increased to 100 km/h. If pit stops become less costly in terms of time, teams might choose two-stop strategies more often.

That being said, Formula 1 and Pirelli will reportedly focus on one solution at a time. First, a new set of softer tire compounds will be introduced in Imola. If the expectations are not met, only then might the authorities will move on to the next strategies, as safety is also a primary concern.

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F1 reportedly scraps V10 engine return plan

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali at Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia - Source: Getty

Formula 1 will undergo an engine regulation overhaul in 2026. However, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem reportedly suggested an idea to bring back the V10 engine on sustainable fuels.

This proposal likely involved scrapping the 2026 engine regulations and extending the current ones to then reintroduce V10 engines in 2028. However, according to the BBC, F1 bosses had a meeting at the 2025 Bahrain GP to mutually decide to go ahead with the set plan in 2026 and rejected the V10 engine return proposal.

This comes after new teams like Audi and Cadillac strongly opposed the idea of scrapping the 2026 engine regulations overhaul, as their decision to enter Formula 1 was primarily based on the same.

Moreover, existing engine manufacturers have also invested significant resources, and a last-minute pushback could result in heavy losses. Hence, Formula 1 will retain the original plan momentarily.