First it was F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, then it was FIA president, Mohammed ben Sulayem, now even team bosses are mulling a return to V10s.
Last year Domenicali hinted at a return to "engines that are much lighter and maybe with a good sound", while last month, taking to Instagram, Ben Sulayem suggested the sport "should consider a range of directions including the roaring sound of the V10 running on sustainable fuel".
On the face of it, such a move would be unthinkable, for not only is Red Bull going it alone, the new engine formula is what attracted Audi, GM and Ford, a switch (back) to V10s echoing the promise of cheaper competitive engines that lured a number of ill-fated teams to the sport at the time of the previous significant (engine) rules overhaul.
While fans believed they are merely being teased as the sport seeks to continue to signal its virtue at every opportunity, the call for a turnaround 'appears' to be gathering momentum.
Indeed, in recent weeks there has been talk of basically maintaining the current engine regulations for another couple of years before switching back to V10s.
"Obviously there's a lot of debate about the future," said Christian Horner in Shanghai. "We've got a set of regulations for next year, for 2026.
"I think there's some limitations to those regulations as far as the show and the racing is concerned," he added. "I think there's some aspects that... we've ended up in a situation where the chassis is having to compensate a huge amount for perhaps some of the shortcomings of the split in electrification and combustion.
"But, you know, it's sort of ten past midnight and Cinderella's left the building. So, the romantic in you - a screaming V10 - so long as it's done responsibly, with fully sustainable fuels, is hugely attractive.
"I think the big question is: when would that be for? And what would be the game plan between where we sit today and then? Because it would be a massive departure obviously to move away from what is currently being worked on very hard for 2026.
"I think, from the fan in me, the concept of a screaming V10 engine would be very exciting for the sport - at whatever point it's chosen for the future," he admitted.
"Formula 1's always been a very technical challenge when you have new regulations," added Zak Brown. "I think this is no different for 2026.
"We're happy to race and ready to race in whatever the rules may be. I think a V10 would be pretty cool with sustainable fuels," he admitted.
"I don't really see how you can unwind what's in place, really because of all the different power unit changes that are happening right now. Audi's coming in, Alpine's going to Merc for an engine. Logistically, I'm not sure how you put the genie back in the bottle.
"But from our standpoint, we're with HPP, very happy. They're ready to go - or will be ready to go. And so that wouldn't impact us. But it is a bit of a head-scratcher of how you would put that in place if you did want to make a change.
"And I think every time there's a rule change, I remember when hybrids came in last time there was some concern, and that's worked out just fine. So I'm sure the engineers will get on the technical challenge and remain very excited, as Formula 1's always been."
"It's quite a romantic idea," said Oliver Oakes, "but obviously the train has left the station now for 2026. I think it's probably something beyond that that will be looked at because it does sound quite good for Formula 1 to go that way a little bit. But as Zak said, we are quite far along already."
Speaking in Bahrain during pre-season testing, Fred Vasseur appeared to approve the move, but not at this time.
"It looks to be very early for me to discuss about the engine of 2031, or whatever," he said. "We haven't even started with the next homologation. We still have some huge topics on the table, and we didn't even start this journey. So, let's be focused on this before moving on to discuss about 2030 or 2031."
Fact is, while it would indeed be a "romantic" move, the sport no longer does romance. As Horner says, the train has already left the station.
Indeed, to us it all appears to be a cynical move aimed at appeasing those fans of a certain vintage.
In fact, at a time anticipation of the F1 movie is building, courtesy of some hard pushing from inside the sport itself, one wonders how the film will deal with the sound of contemporary F1 and whether this has been aurally 'doctored' in order to increase the appeal.
Check out our Friday gallery from Shanghai here.
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