F1 urged to learn from historic manufacturer achieving world first

Former Formula 1 driver Johnny Herbert has urged the sport to learn from historic British car manufacturer Lola, which revealed a motorsport world first in the automotive industry earlier this week.

On Tuesday, at the Royal Automobile Club in central London, Lola unveiled the T70S, the world’s first revived classic sports car to run on sustainable fuel.

The original T70 is one of the most famous historic sports cars, and Lola has now rebuilt both a track version and a road-legal version.

Remarkably, the track model features a 5.0-litre small-block Chevrolet V8, while the road version boasts a 6.2-litre unit. Both produce over 500 bhp and can reach 200 mph.

F1 is three races into its new power unit regulations, featuring a 50/50 split between electrical power and internal combustion, with drivers such as Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso, and Carlos Sainz having been highly critical.

Several major issues have been evident since the introduction of the new rules, with many eager for F1 to return to a V8 running on sustainable fuel.

Asked if F1 could learn something from what Lola has achieved, Herbert exclusively told RacingNews365 at the T70S launch: "Yeah, I think there is. 

"I think, like anything, motorsport as a whole is always very good at having a problem and finding a way around it.

"With what Lola has done on the sustainable fuel side, we all know about it, but it's about showing it off and showing people that it's possible and sustainable at the end of the day. 

"And with that sustainable side, you can then say, well, the combustion engine can have a life for eternity in many respects, so that's a good thing."

Article continues below the Lola T70S image...

V8 return rumours reignite

Early last year, the idea of F1 scrapping its 2026 regulations in favour of a V10 running on sustainable fuel was raised by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, but it was ultimately turned down.

Herbert agrees that a V10 would have been the wrong route, but believes a V8 running on sustainable fuel is the way forward.

The Briton has already heard rumours that a return to a V8—running on sustainable fuel—could be in the works for a 2030 debut, when the current regulatory cycle ends.

"The hybrid we’ve got in F1 is not quite working at the present time," added Herbert. "But it shows that when there was that little chatter about having a V10—which was probably the wrong option, with a V8 being more realistic—it was about showing that we can go that way. 

"I think it might… I've been hearing whispers that it could come into effect later, around 2030 or something like that.

"But it would be great if Lola were pushing the boundaries of that technology that we all know is there, actually implementing it and getting people to understand that it is truly sustainable.

"Electrification—is it the purest form of that? No, it still has its issues, as most things do. But there is a way of making sustainable solutions work in a positive way so that everything else can just carry on."