A hopeless 12 year-old Minardi sounds better - Horner
Christian Horner and Toto Wolff have once more rallied F1 to give greater focus to reviving the 'iconic' sound of an F1 engine and not simply settle for updating the cars aesthetically
The sport entered a bold new era with this weekend's Australian Grand Prix as the faster, more aggressive looking cars hit the track for the first race of the 2017 F1 season.
The revised cars have been introduced for 2017 in an attempt to address many of the criticisms regarding ungainly appearance and focus on frugality that came with F1's last major regulation changes in 2009 and 2014.
However, while the re-designed cars have received a predominant thumbs up from drivers and fans despite a lack of overtaking come race in Melbourne, the lack of spectacle from the V6 Hybrid engine - which remains relatively muted compared with the 'screaming' V8 and V10s of old - continues to be highlighted as a disappointment.
It is a sentiment shared by Red Bull boss Christian Horner, who went as far as to remark the V10-engined 2005 Minardi PS04 - which he described as the 'worst sounding car 12 years ago - doing demo laps at Albert Park thrilled the crowds more.
"I think they currently look great, [but] I think that rather than focus on the looks I would prefer to focus on the sound. I think the best sounding car over the weekend is a 12-year old Minardi that 12 years ago had the worst sounding engine in it and was hopelessly uncompetitive.
"I think that when you hear the acoustics of a V10, you've only got to go and see the faces around the circuit to see what it embodies in fans of Formula One, so I would be far more focused on addressing that element than the aesthetics of the cars at the moment."
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff is in agreement, but suggests it can only be achieved during the next generation of engines to be introduced from 2020.
"If we can work on the sound of the car and if we look into a future generation of engines that is something that needs to be considered. There wasn't enough emphasis on the sound in the past and if we can combine great technology, affordable technology with a lot of horsepower and a good sound, that would be really ticking a box."
Their comments come as FIA President once more reiterated Athere is 'no return' to V8 or V10 specification engines, regardless of new owners Liberty Media's desire to improve the spectacle of the sport.
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