F1 commits to 'duty' over engine noise increase

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has indicated there will be an increase in the noise an engine creates when new regulations are introduced in 2026.

The current power units used in F1 have been regulated since 2014, with V6 turbo-hybrids taking the place of V8s as the sport shifted towards a more sustainable future.

But the initial wave of power units when the hybrids were introduced created backlash for the muted notes, though engines across the grid have provided increased sound in recent years.

Yet the feverish screams of the 2000s and early 2010s remain a distant memory, with fans attending races trackside missing out on a key sensory experience that is provided in other racing categories.

Speaking to the Beyond the Grid podcast, Domenicali said: "I remember just a couple of years ago, people were saying, 'The young generation are not interested anymore to have the incredible sound of the engine'.

"Actually, today, even the young fans that are approaching Formula 1 now want to have sound back because it's part of an emotional journey when you're coming here that you want to feel."

Situation is different

Suggesting change would come when F1 moves to a new set of power unit regulations in 2026, Domenicali told Australian radio station 3AW: "The intention is to make sure in the new regulation the engine [noise] itself will be higher because that's part of our emotion.

"It is really what our fans want to hear and that's the duty for us to commit to that.

"We need to have a different sound. It's music for my ears. It's true that we had the 12 cylinders, it was a different frequency, very loud. And then 10, eight, six – it's not [going] again down.

"It's just the situation is different. Of course, we need to be a hybrid, we're going to hybrid for the future."