Everything you need to know about Anthony Hamilton’s new V10 series

Anthony Hamilton, father of seven-time F1 world champion Lewis, has revealed plans to launch a brand new motorsport series.

The concept which has been created by Hamilton includes two divisions of single-seater racing; a HybridV10 championship and a HybridV8 category.

Hamilton’s project first emerged late last year and was formerly launched online with the promise of “Real Racing, real talent, real skill and proper sound.”

What is HybridV10?

In essence, HybridV10 is a two-tier single-seater racing championship.

The focus is on simplified technology and V8 and V10 engines, something F1 currently has no plans to return to in the imminent future.

HybridV10 will be the headline category, featuring naturally-aspirated hybrid V10 engines, while a hybrid V8 category will run in parallel.

There are plans for 12 teams and 24 drivers to race in each category, opening the door to the opportunity for 48 race seats in total.

The series will initially operate as a professional festival format and not as an FIA-sanctioned World Championship. It will not be connected, affiliated with, or endorsed to the FIA or F1.

Instead, the Hybrid World Commission has been proposed as an independent governing body to oversee the entire series.

The idea is for each event to tun as a national motorsport festival weekend over three days. Fridays would be used as a “technology and innovation showcase” for manufacturers, partners and suppliers.

On Saturday, a full competitive V8 programme would take place supported by STEM initiatives, apprenticeships and local cultural celebration. Sunday would focus on the ‘headline’ HybridV10 race.

What about the teams and drivers? 

No teams are drivers have yet been confirmed.

HybridV10 aims to attract the best drivers available and the series will be centred around the principle that seats will be earned rather than bought.

Driver selection will be managed by a new Motorsport Draft League. To qualify for a seat in the V10 class, drivers must be aged 20 or over and hold a ‘Hybrid Super Licence’ issued by the HWC.

Drivers will earn points for the Hybrid Super Licence through race results in approved categories, simulator performance and testing, education and technical knowledge, fitness and discipline and their professional behaviour and teamwork.

Reaching a required level of points will enable drivers to be eligible to be drafted into a HybridV10 team.

Qualification routes include finishing inside the top three in “any recognised professional series”, such as F1, F2, Formula E, IndyCar, WEC, World Rally and NASCAR.

Acting as an official F1 reserve driver or holding a full FIA Super Licence will provide alternative pathways to the championship.

Where will the series race?

A calendar has not yet been announced, nor have any circuits been confirmed, however the plans suggest that the championship will visit all major continents and comprise of 12-rounds.

FIA Grade 1-standard venues and leading international tracks, most likely those not used on the current F1 calendar, will be key targets.

Hamilton wants the calendar to be run logically and as sustainably as possible in an ‘Eco Loop’, travelling in one direction around the globe.

When will it start?

A provisional start date for the championship has been penciled in for either 2028 or 2029. Investor backing has already been secured, allowing for the series to move into the next stage of planning.

"This is an early-stage build, being developed deliberately and properly," Hamilton said. "More detail including how people can be involved from the beginning will be shared throughout January.

"I can build this alone, but I'd rather build it together with the fans and those who want to shape the future of a new motorsport platform."