Niki Lauda: « The debate on engine noise is absurd »

After admitting he was rather disappointed by the noise of the cars at the start of the Australian Grand Prix, three-time F1 world champion Niki Lauda remains adamant about any potential changes to the power units in 2014.

He states in the Austrian daily newspaper Österreich: « The debate about engine noise is absurd. We cannot change that now. The decision to have turbo engines was made unanimously five years ago, so we put a turbocharger in front of the exhaust. Even a child knows the sound is different. But if you remove the turbo, you no longer have a hybrid engine. »

Regarding the new sound provided by these power units, Lauda thinks it will just take some getting used to.

On his part, Toto Wolff, the executive director of Mercedes, is less assertive about an engine modification. He expresses his opinion in the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat: « I am not much of an engineer. These things will be examined. If it is decided that something needs to be done, then we should think about it carefully. I think it would be possible, but I don’t know if it would be the right thing to do.»

He also wants to reassure those who think Formula 1 is losing its momentum: « The sound of the V8 engines was fantastic, but I have seen [the race] up close, and I can assure you that F1 is still the premier category of motorsport, it’s not GP2. I think the switch to V6 was a good thing. »

But other voices are being heard. In particular, Pat Symonds, the technical director of Williams, who adds fuel to the critics’ fire. He states in *Auto Motor und Sport*: “For me, the start is the most exciting part of the race, and I love the moment when the 22 drivers rev their engines. I’m not usually one to complain about noise, but at the start, it seemed a bit quiet to me.”

One thing is certain: within the paddock and among the F1 fan community, the debate is far from over.