Bernie Ecclestone has renewed his calls for a return to V8 engines plus a boost in power to increase excitement and noise, which he believes will draw fans back to the sport.
The 84-year-old has been against the introduction of hybrid-V6 units ever since they were first conceived, but the sport pushed ahead with their introduction in response to calls for ‘greener technology’.
Ecclestone reckons they’re to blame for the sports financial woes and the shrinking TV audiences, therefore he is keen for the sport to take a step back.
“We need to go back to engines whose costs are more reasonable, and we need to intervene with maximum urgency,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Why? Going back to a Formula 1 with naturally aspirated engines and KERS, while setting precise constraints, would drastically reduce costs and would be convenient for those already in F1 and for those would like to enter it.
“We’d just need to take the old V8 engines and modify them by increasing displacement to bring power output near 1000bhp.
“People would return, the show would return, sponsors would return,” he added.