They'll be V8s guys, but not as we want them.
When FIA president, Mohammed ben Sulayem first promised a return to V8s from 2031, the reaction from race fans, particularly those described as "niche", was understandably positive.
Then, as if to flex his muscles, Ben Sulayem, said that since the FIA will have full control of the regulations from 2030, the new formula could be introduced a year earlier.
While it was assumed that F1 would fight back, Stefano Domenicali agreed with the decision, and soon team bosses and even the manufacturers were on board.
As the promises continued, Ben Sulayem and Domenicali both admitted that one of the things that had been missing from the sport for some time was 'that certain sound'.
OK, we were never going to return to the banshee wail of the Matra, or the scream of the Ferrari V12, but it was definitely a move in the right direction.
However, as the new formula takes shape it is the sound that is proving the biggest issue, for the throaty wail of a naturally aspirated V8 would be too much for the street circuits that are regularly being added to the calendar.
Those circuits, deep in the heart of destination cities, beloved of Domenicali, team bosses and David Croft, are no place for noisy V8s.
Consequently, the V8s proposed for 2030 will have a turbocharger. They will also probably feature 'push to pass'.
While the naturally aspirated formula was considered, we are told, venues such as Melbourne, Singapore, Miami, Baku, Madrid and Las Vegas, where there are strict limits on noise, would have been out of the question.
"You'll get the sound, less complexity, lightweight," Ben Sulayem promised back in May. "You will hear about it very soon and it will be with a very, very minor electrification."
It is understood the new formula will consist of 3-litre V8s, albeit with a small turbocharger, an 100 kW electric motor - as opposed to the current 350 kW - that will be 50 kg lighter, featuring a smaller, simpler electronics package, plus possible push-to-pass though no DRS.
As ever, it is claimed that the new formula will lead to improved racing with drivers able to push harder.
The proposed formula is not fully agreed upon as yet, but with an eye on the way F1 is dithering over where the season finale will take place - a decision that appears to be entirely about not losing out financially - it is never going to risk upsetting the likes of Melbourne, Singapore, Miami, Baku, Madrid or Las Vegas.
"There is no clarity yet," admits Audi's Mattia Binotto. "We know that FIA is still elaborating what may be the concepts they would like to propose.
"We know it's a V8 for certain," he adds, "2030 the earliest introduction. On the timing, if it would be 2030, what does it mean in terms of starting the development? It has to be very soon. It has to be before the end of the year.
"I think the regulation needs to be agreed and voted before the end of the year to have certain clarities, by 2027, to start really the design and concept phase.
"What's the main objective we are looking at? I think we all agree, first will be a significant cost saving required. The current power unit is still very expensive and we believe that having a clear target on cost would be important.
"When considering the format of the V8 itself, we believe that we still need to retain some advanced technologies. I think that F1 has always been the edge of the platform for innovation, ahead of technology, and we believe whatever will be the overall format, it has to remain a platform for innovation for all the manufacturers. So yes, we welcome the V8, we welcome a better sound, we welcome a cost saving.
"When it comes into the details of hybrid, I would say yes, turbo, possibly yes. But all the details, I think, need to be discussed with the FIA. That's why I think that discussion will start very soon. As Audi, we are very open, very collaborative, and I'm pretty sure that together with the FIA we will find the right compromise."
"Very similar here," said Red Bull's, Laurent Mekies. "Even though it's a massive topic because, in the end, it will dictate the next generation of regulations. I think we are at the point where all the manufacturers, I don't think we have very different ideas or very opposite ideas about what we all want from it.
"I think we want flat-out racing, flat-out qualifying. That will probably dictate the next architecture.
"As Mattia said, you want flat-out racing, flat-out qualifying and retaining the technological challenge and the technological laboratories. And of course, we would like to do that also by ticking a few of the boxes. But I think in terms of these high-level objectives, with the FIA, with F1, with the teams, I think we are all pretty aligned.
"How do you do it in the details, with the various options we have, it will be the discussion over the next few months. But in terms of what we want to achieve as stakeholders of the sport, I think we are all quite aligned."
Check out our Friday gallery from Baku here.
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