Sound of the V6: For Vettel, “it’s shit”

To believe that F1 has been reduced to just one sound, that of the hybrid V6 turbos, the current questions regarding the sporting aspect of the 2014 season seem secondary. Thus, when asked during a press briefing at the Sepang circuit, Sebastian Vettel expressed his colorful prose to describe his feelings about the noise produced by the new hybrid engines.

“It’s shit! I was on the pit wall during the race, and [it’s quieter] than in a bar! I think for the fans, it’s not good. I think F1 must be spectacular, and sound is one of the most important things,” he stated.

Then he remembered his own experience: « I remember when, even though I don’t remember much because I was 6 years old, we would go see the cars in real during free practice sessions in Germany, and one of the things I remember is the sound. [I remember] how loud the cars were, and you could feel the cars through the ground because it vibrated. It’s a shame we don’t have that anymore. »

An opinion not shared by his teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, who approaches this question from the driver’s perspective: « Once you’re at full speed, you still don’t hear what’s going on. There’s always enough sound in our helmets to block everything else. I think it’s fine. It’s different, something else to get used to. » He also mentions a rarely discussed point regarding this issue: « I would probably have good hearing for longer, so I’m really not complaining. »

On his side, Lewis Hamilton accepts this new aspect of F1: « It’s OK. It’s not special like it used to be, but it’s a lot of power, so it’s special in another way. »

Felipe Massa, for his part, is fatalistic: « When it was decided to switch from V8s to turbo V6s, everyone had already said that the noise would be a problem. Now it’s too late, we can’t go back. It’s impossible to regain the sound produced by the V8s, no matter what we do. »