The first F1 Grand Prix of 2014 kicked off in Melbourne over the weekend and the biggest talking point following the race was the sound of the new cars… more to the point, the lack of sound.
Surprisingly, no one seemed too interested in the fact that F1 debutant Kevin Magnussen finished second in the 2014 Australian GP, or that Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton both retired from the race with engine problems. Instead, most of the weekend’s media coverage was focused on the engine noise.
F1’s top dog, Bernie Ecclestone said he was “horrified” by new quieter engine noise and according to
Sky Sports F1, Bernie has vowed to find a way of "making them sound like racing cars".
"I was not horrified by the noise, I was horrified by the lack of it," Ecclestone told
The Age.
The lack of sound is thanks to new engine regulations that were brought in for the 2014 season. The 11 F1 teams were all forced to downsize their engines from a 2.4L V8 to a new 1.6L turbocharged V6 engine.
Here’s a good example between the two different engine noises…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS4Dh_EAfJI
Ecclestone seems adamant on doing something to increase the engine noise before the season is over, but what exactly he’ll be able to do remains a mystery.
