Mosley happy to accept 'blame' for F1's new soundtrack

Former FIA president Max Mosley admits that the contentious new noise being emitted by F1 cars is largely down to him - but he doesn't seem too concerned about it.

The low growl now being uttered by the latest round of turbo-charged V6 technology is a lot different to the wail and scream of the preceding V10 and V8 generations, and the change has precipitated a great deal of head-shaking and hand-wringing among those currently at the head of the sport, but Mosley insists that there is nothing wrong with the new noise.

He would defend it, of course, having been in charge when the switch to greener technology was first mooted. The latest breed of V6 is accompanied by greater energy recovery potential and, while the new formula may not be to the liking of the F1 purists, Mosley insists that it was the way the sport had to go.

"If anybody should be 'blamed' it's me," he confessed to Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, "We were the ones who looked at bringing in the new technology. It was ten years in the making, and I actually like the noise.

"I wear [hearing aids] in both my ears because the noise of the engines went right through me for 40 years or more. It's too late to save my hearing, but not for the next generation. The quieter engines are better for families. You can take children to races without fear of their being deafened.

"It is important for F1 to evolve. Safety was the big challenge of the 20th Century and the environment is the big challenge of the 21st. If that that fact is not understood and embraced, the sport runs the risk of becoming irrelevant."

Mosley argues that, far from F1 receding from its position as the supposed technological leader in motorsport, F1 can begin writing a new chapter via its introduction of greener ideas. With the car manufacturing world in general looking for ways to make more environmentally-friendly cars, pushing ahead with 'outdated' engine concepts could, he believes, have seen the involvement of major brands dwindle.

"Corporate social responsibility is important for car manufacturers, so there is a need to move in this direction so the sport does not lose sponsors and manufacturers," he concluded, "They see how important this technology is in the development of road cars.

"If there is one thing I feel could have been done better it is how the new regulations, and the reasons behind them, have been explained to the public. An opportunity has been missed."