Ecclestone, horrified by the sound of V6s, wants to change things quickly
The regulatory changes have not only altered the physical and technical aspects of the cars. The sound of the engines has also undergone a revolution. More muted, less high-pitched, and less powerful, they are now criticized by Bernie Ecclestone, who wants to restore the noise that Formula 1 used to produce.
The introduction of new hybrid V6 turbo engines, giving a significant role to electric energy, has profoundly changed Formula 1. But there is one aspect that enthusiasts are questioning a lot, and that concerns the noise produced by these new power units.
Already, during the weekend, Vijay Mallya, head of the Force India team, was wondering where the noise of Formula 1 had gone. Echoing this concern, Bernie Ecclestone, who was already fearing this type of reaction, wants to quickly find a solution to address this issue: “I wasn’t horrified by the noise, I was horrified by the lack of noise!” he stated after the first Grand Prix.
Ron Walker, the promoter of the Australian Grand Prix, complained in the press about the lack of noise and spectacle provided by this new Formula 1. Ecclestone partially agrees with him: « Ron is right when he talks about his contract. And I’m sorry to say that I was right in saying what I’ve been saying from the start, that these cars don’t sound like race cars. I talked to Jean Todt about it and told him we need to find a solution to make these cars sound like race cars. I don’t know if it’s possible, but we need to investigate. I think we will let the first races go by and then see if we can do something. We can’t wait all season. After that, it might be too late. »
Other Grand Prix promoters are already very worried about this, as confirmed by the Briton: « I spoke to Luca di Montezemolo [the president of Ferrari, editor’s note] and he told me that he has never received so many complaint emails telling him that what is currently being presented is not Formula 1. »
