Formula One engines to be 'significantly' louder in 2016 - Paddy Lowe

22 January 2016 04:23

Formula One engines will be 'significantly' louder in 2016, Mercedes technical chief Paddy Lowe has claimed.

The current V6 power units, which were introduced two years ago, have come under fierce criticism for being too quiet.

But Lowe believes a regulation change to the exhaust system will improve the sound this season.

"In the last two years we have had a situation where the main exhaust goes through one tail pipe," Lowe explained.

"We have a thing called a wastegate which is a way of spilling out extra pressure from the exhaust system when it's not wanted to be used by the turbo.

"We now have to duck that air separately through an extra tail pipe and this is all intended to make more noise.

"So, we are trying to make the engine louder. It will work. We will see how much louder they will be, but some measurements have been made in the labs and we have seen some significant increase."

Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone said he was "horrified" by the lack of sound from the cars at the season-opening grand prix in Australia in 2014. At the ensuing race in Malaysia, Sebastian Vettel, the four-time world champion, described the noise as "s***".

The sport's rulemakers have subsequently explored a number of options to bring the sound back to grand prix racing.

Britain's Lewis Hamilton will be bidding to win his fourth crown when the season gets under way in Melbourne on March 20. The first winter test begins in Barcelona on February 22.

Source: PA