Bernie Ecclestone will try to force Formula One’s teams to return to using V8 engines in 2016 even though they were only dropped last year in favour of V6 engines.

The new “greener” engines do not consume as much fuel as previous models but they have been heavily criticised by Formula One diehards for lacking the high-pitched scream of their predecessors and they have also led to one team, Mercedes, dominating the season.

Switching back to the V8s would come at a huge cost as the sport’s manufacturers have invested hundreds of millions of pounds in developing the new engines.

The teams would need to give consent to such a significant change as the engine regulations are fixed until the end of 2020. However, Formula One chief executive Ecclestone told The Independent: “I don’t think we should get consent from the teams. I think we should just do it and say to them, ‘If you don’t like it you can go to arbitration’. We could get the V8s back next year. People can build them in no time so we ought to do it.”

Lewis Hamilton, left, celebrates his Russian Grand Prix win, which reinforced the ‘processional’ dominance he has often enjoyed this season (AFP)

With Lewis Hamilton cruising to victory for the second successive season – going into this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, his nearest rival, Sebastian Vettel, is 66 points behind – there are accusations that the sport has become more processional and less competitive.

In The Independent two weeks ago, the managing director of Silverstone, Patrick Allen, said that fans would stop coming to races because they “don’t want to see a procession” and that Formula One is a “shit product” that is becoming more and more difficult to sell.

The V8 engines would level the playing field because the teams spent eight years working with them so know how to get the most out of them whereas some are still getting to grips with the cutting-edge V6.

“This engine shouldn’t have been that complicated, to be honest with you,” Ecclestone said. “It was only when the engineers got hold of it that it became complicated. The product is not fit for the purpose.”

Ecclestone also warned Red Bull that they would be in breach of contract if the team end their partnership with engine manufacturers Renault and are forced to pull out of next season’s competition – something Red Bull have threatened to do.

Red Bull have struggled this season – a stark contrast to the success they enjoyed in the V8 era when they won four titles with engines supplied by Renault.

If Red Bull breach their contract it could lead to a complex legal case, which Ecclestone shed light on.

The ten best Formula One season finales Show all 10 1 /10 The ten best Formula One season finales The ten best Formula One season finales GETTY IMAGES The ten best Formula One season finales 1980 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX

Not only the final race of the season but the final Grand Prix to be held at Watkins Glen in upstate New York. The venue had hosted the United States Grand Prix since 1961 but its final act was to see Alan Jones (pictured) crowned the drivers' world champion. The Australian already had the title wrapped up by the time the final race came round but rather than let that be an excuse for a procession, it produced one the most exciting races of the season. Jones went into the first corner of the race in second but swung wide and found himself in fourteenth after the first lap. But Jones was determined to finish his season in style. He raced through the field, passing his Williams team-mate Carlos Reutemann to take second before seeing race leader Bruno Giacomelli retire with electrical problems. Even then Jones refused to coast home, instead getting faster and faster and at one point breaking his qualifying time as he completed his title winning season like a true champion. GETTY IMAGES The ten best Formula One season finales <b>1981 CAESARS PALACE GRAND PRIX</b><br/> The United States was again the venue for the final race of the season, but this time in Las Vegas, and more specifically the car park of the Caesars Palace hotel. Going into the race there was a three way tussle for the drivers' championship; Carlos Reutemann, Nelson Piquet and Jacques Laffite all harboured dreams of lifting the title. Reutemann of Williams started on pole but had a dreadful start and was fifth by the end of the first lap. With gear-box problems the Argentinean continued to slip down the field and saw his Championship chances disappear, something that was compounded when he was passed by eventual title winner Piquet on the 17th lap. Piquet needed just two points to claim the title and sitting in fifth looked as though he couldn't fail. But the Brazilian (pictured) was clearly suffering from physical exhaustion as he attempted to steer the car home and although he did enough to take the title, it took him fifteen minutes to recover after the race before he could celebrate. Getty The ten best Formula One season finales 1983 SOUTH AFRICAN GRAND PRIX

The finale to the 1983 season was again a three-way tussle for the drivers' championship. The venue for the shoot-out was Kyalami in South Africa as Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet and Rene Arnoux fought it out. Piquet had the perfect start, moving into the lead from second on the grid, a position that would guarantee him the title. Ferrari's Arnoux was forced to retire with engine failure on lap nine and when Prost dropped out of the race on lap 35 Piquet knew the title was in his hands. Knowing he need only finish fourth, Piquet began to slow and saw himself passed by Riccardo Patrese, Niki Lauda and Andrea de Cesaris but when Lauda retired Piquet (pictured) could relax and cruise home to lift his second drivers' championship. GETTY IMAGES The ten best Formula One season finales 1976 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX

The 1976 Formula One season was to be decided in monsoon conditions at the Mount Fuji circuit. Niki Lauda led Britain's James Hunt by three points as they went into the first ever Japanese Grand Prix. It had already been a season filled with incidents, most notably Lauda's near fatal crash that left him severely burnt. Yet the Austrian driver made a miraculous recovery and was back in F1 challenging Hunt for the title. The Japanese Grand Prix was hit by dreadful weather conditions, so much so that Lauda withdrew from the race, stating that his life was more important than the championship. This left Hunt (pictured) needing to finish fourth to secure the title, but it wasn't easy. For some time he led the race but as the track dried out, his pace slowed. Things got worse when a tyre problem forced him to pit and he found his McLaren in fifth place. He hit the track hard as he left the pits and made up the necessary positions to finish third and take the title. GETTY IMAGES The ten best Formula One season finales 2008 BRAZIL GRAND PRIX

Britain's Lewis Hamilton lifted the title in 2008 but only after putting his fans through the mixer with a wild performance. Heading into the Brazilian Grand Prix it was a straight fight between Hamilton for McLaren and Felipe Massa of Ferrari. Hamilton's seven-point lead meant if Massa won his home Grand Prix he could afford to finish fifth and still take the title. Things couldn't go wrong. Could they? Massa was on pole and dominated the race. Meanwhile Hamilton started a gut-wrenching fourth on the grid and when the heavens opened his points lead began to look precarious. On lap 63 a spot of rain was felt again and the teams began to gamble with a flurry of pit stops. On lap 69 of 71 the heavens truly opened but Hamilton was still in fifth but struggling to hold off a rampaging Sebastian Vettel in his Toro Rosso. Vettel eventually got through pushing Hamilton into sixth and dashing his title ambitions for the second year running. Massa took the chequered flag and as it stood was the new world champion. Everyone focused on Hamilton with most thinking that passing Vettel was his only hope. Then on the final corner of the final race of the 2008 season, Hamilton passed Timo Glock who was struggling to cope with the rainy conditions. Hamilton eased past and became the youngest-ever winner of the Formula One world championship. GETTY IMAGES The ten best Formula One season finales 1984 PORTUGUESE GRAND PRIX

Estoril was the venue for the final Grand Prix of the 1984 season as McLaren team-mates Alain Prost (left) and Niki Lauda (right) fought it out for the drivers' title. Alain Prost of France was to win the race but Lauda knew that a second place finish would still be enough to land the championship. He was sitting in third when with just 18 laps to go, Nigel Mansell gifted him the position he needed by spinning out of the race. GETTY IMAGES The ten best Formula One season finales 1986 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX

Yet another three-way battle for the title was to be settled in the final race of the season. This time it was between Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet (both driving for Williams) and Alain Prost in his McLaren. British driver Mansell was in a strong position, knowing that whatever the others did, he could finish third and take the title. But he dropped to fourth from pole position leaving him with a fight on his hands. He battled back but when sitting in second place with just 19 laps to go, Mansell (pictured) saw his tyre explode in dramatic fashion leaving his championship hopes in tatters. It was now between Piquet and Prost with the Frenchman needing to finish ahead of his Brazilian rival. Amid fears of a tyre failure Piquet came into the pits, returning to the track 15 seconds behind Prost. Piquet closed the gap to four seconds but it wasn't enough to deny Prost the title. GETTY IMAGES The ten best Formula One season finales 1994 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX

Australia was again the venue for a title deciding season finale. This time it was Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher in the hunt. The German driver was leading the race in his Benetton with Hill's Williams just seconds behind. On lap 36 Schumacher damaged his car, presenting Hill with a chance to pass. As he did so the two drivers collided as Schumacher pulled in. The German was eliminated on the spot and after reaching the pits, Hill was also unable to continue meaning Schumacher took the title. There was much debate over whether Schumacher had crashed into Hill on purpose but nothing could be proved. GETTY IMAGES The ten best Formula One season finales 2007 BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX

The year before Lewis Hamilton clinched the title in Brazil, he was involved in a three way tussle at the same Interlagos circuit. Hamilton had a four point lead over Fernando Alonso and a seven point lead over eventual champion Kimi Raikonnen. Hamilton had a dreadful start, dropping to eighth. Driving manically, Hamilton advanced up to sixth but then suffered a gear-box problem. He found himself in 18th place knowing he needed to finish fifth to clinch the championship. Raikkonnen in the meantime moved into the lead and was coasting home ahead of his Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa. Alonso was in third, which is where he finished, but had no chance of catching Raikkonnen. Hamilton continued to drive like a man possessed but could only finish in a quite remarkable seventh, missing out on the championship by a single point. GETTY IMAGES

“Red Bull would stand up in court and say: ‘Yes, we have a commitment, we do, but we haven’t got an engine’,” Ecclestone suggested. “My argument would be: ‘You signed the contract to compete. You should have made sure when you signed the contract that you had an engine. Your team was supposed to do this.’”

Red Bull have been critical of Renault for the engine’s lack of power and pace. Mercedes and Ferrari are reportedly unwilling to help such a strong rival, and Formula One’s other engine manufacturer, Honda, is performing worse than Renault so is not a likely alternative. It means Red Bull face the prospect of having to exit the sport despite signing a contract to compete until the end of 2020.

Their reserve plan was understood to be doing a deal with VW brand Audi but this deal collapsed when the German manufacturer became embroiled in the emissions scandal.

Ecclestone added that Formula One needed an independent emergency engine partner to prevent this situation happening again.