Formula One will be noisier next year after the sport’s governing body approved new measures on Wednesday to raise the decibels after complaints about the V6 turbo-hybrid power units introduced in 2014.
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement that all cars would have a separate exhaust wastegate tailpipe next year “through which all and only wastegate exhaust gases must pass.
“This measure has been undertaken to increase the noise of the cars and will not have any significant effect on power or emissions,” it added.
The more fuel efficient V6 power units are considerably quieter than the old and far simpler V8 engines that they replaced, leaving some fans upset by the absence of one of the sport’s big draws.
Formula One’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone has been one of the new engines’ biggest critics.
Early start next year
Next year’s season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne will move forward to March 20 after previously being listed for a later than usual start on April 3, organisers said on Wednesday.
“The change of the date is part of a number of changes on a provisional calendar issued by the World Motor Sport Council,” they said in a statement on the official race website (www.grandprix.com.au).
The April 3 date would have been the latest start to a championship since 1988.
Singapore had objected to having its September race back-to-back with neighbouring Malaysia while teams had also expressed concern about the effect on personnel if the August break was shortened from the usual three weeks.
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