“I’ve been speaking with Jean [Todt, president of F1’s governing body, the
FIA] this afternoon and what I’ve said is that we need to see whether there
is some way of making them sound like racing cars.
“I don’t know whether it’s possible but we should investigate. I think let’s
get the first few races out of the way and then maybe look to do something.
We can’t wait all season. It could be too late by then.”
Ecclestone also said on Monday that he has had “one or two promoters get in
touch with me today and they said how unhappy they are”. He said: “I spoke
to [Ferrari
president] Luca di Montezemolo just now and Luca said he’s never had as many
emails complaining and saying this isn’t Formula One.”
Formula One’s first race with the new hybrid technology – V6 turbocharged
engines allied to far more potent energy recovery systems – split both the
paddock and fans in general.
Some were encouraged by the race, which was won by Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg,
believing that driver skill will have more of an influence on the race
result, with less downforce and therefore less grip than before. They also
enjoyed the fact that you could hear the fans cheering above the noise of
the engines – a novel development in Formula One.
Others bemoaned the fact that the loudest noise in Albert Park over the
weekend came from the old V10 Minardi two-seater taking VIP passengers for
laps of the circuit.
Former Australian Test cricketer Dean Jones said in a tweet: “They sounded
like golf carts.”
Walker said: “I walk in the botanical gardens and you could hear the sound of
the twin-seater F1 car of Paul Stoddart’s sweeping around the circuit, but
you couldn’t hear these new turbo cars. If you sat in the grandstand you
could hardly hear them coming down the straight.
“We [the AGPC] are an entertainment company and we have to entertain the
public. Everybody was talking about it. When you take the excitement away,
you have trouble selling tickets. You have to create demand, and part of
that demand is people liking the noise of the race cars. We are resolving
that with Bernie. It’s clearly in breach of our contract. I was talking to
him last night [Sunday] and it’s not what we paid for. It’s going to change.”
The current contract for the race expires after next year’s event, with the
Victoria state government, who pays for it, yet to sign an extension.
The new engine regulations have been controversial from the start, with
Ecclestone and Ferrari among those to oppose the switch. Walker, an old
friend and ally of Ecclestone’s, even went as far as to form an alliance of
17 race organisers, including Monaco, Monza, Silverstone and Spa,
threatening to stop holding F1 races and run IndyCar instead if new smaller
engines were introduced to F1.
“We are not going to have our customer base destroyed,” Walker said in 2011.
“The sound is part of the brand. It must be 18,000 revs and it must sound
the same.”
However, with other engine manufacturers, notably Renault who almost pulled
out of the sport entirely in the wake of the ‘Crashgate’ scandal in 2008,
adamant that F1’s technology needed to be ‘greener’ and more relevant to
their road car programmes, the V6 turbo was eventually voted through.
Formula One is simultaneously facing controversy over the result of the race
on Sunday with Red
Bull appealing the exclusion of Daniel Ricciardo five hours after it
ended. The Australian finished second but was found to have exceeded the
fuel flow rate.
Christian Horner, Red Bull’s team principal, argued on Monday that it was
“impossible” to rely on the fuel-flow sensors provided by British company
Gill Sensors.