Will Formula 1 be louder again from 2030? Following Stefano Domenicali’s recent statements, drivers are hoping for louder engines: sound used to be “scary “
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has expressed his openness to placing more emphasis on the sound of the powertrain in the engine regulations for 2030. A proposal that has been well received by the drivers, as became clear on the media Thursday in Imola.
“When I came into Formula 1, the engine was much louder,” says Racing Bulls driver Daniel Ricciardo, who made his debut at Silverstone 2011 in a car from the Hispania Racing Team, back then still with a V8 engine under the hood. “When you fire it up, you wait for it. It cranks. And when it starts, you feel that tingling in your spine.”
“Maybe it was also because I was younger and inexperienced and I was still quite intimidated by the sport. But when the engine started, it was like: ‘Wow’. It was intimidating, rather frightening. It sounded like an animal ready to be unleashed.”
“And then when you’re on the track, you’re happy and comfortable. And before that in the garage, when you’re waiting and the engine starts and you think: ‘Okay, now it’s about to get serious’. That was a cool, scary feeling,” said the Australian.
Domenicali: Hybrid engine history from 2030?
It is unclear exactly how the sound is to be increased and whether this will actually happen in 2030. With the introduction of sustainable e-fuels from 2026, a move away from hybrid technology would also be conceivable, as the sustainability criterion would be fulfilled by the fuel.
“As soon as the regulations for 2026 are finalized, we will think about the next steps, for example the engine for 2030,” said Domenicali before the weekend in Imola. “It is a personal consideration of mine that I have not yet shared with the teams, even though we have talked about it with the FIA. If the sustainable fuels work, we will have to carefully consider whether to continue with hybrid technology or whether there will be better solutions.”
A return to V8 engines, for example, would have other advantages in addition to the better sound, which has somewhat evaporated since the introduction of hybrid engines in 2014: lower costs, lower entry barriers for engine manufacturers and also a significantly lighter weight. There are question marks over how relevant such an engine would be for series production, which could deter large manufacturers.
Sainz: Engine sound simply “no longer the same “
Carlos Sainz agrees with his Formula 1 colleague Ricciardo, even if the Spaniard would have liked a better sound with the new engine regulations from 2026: “I had the feeling that 2026 is a good opportunity to maybe go back in that direction a bit,” said the 29-year-old on Thursday.
“I don’t know how much that will be the case now. There’s talk of 2030. I would like it to be sooner than that because with synthetic fuels and the progress that has been made in that area, I think there is a very good opportunity to accelerate this thing and revive Formula 1, which I would be very happy about and very supportive of.”
“I remember going to my first Formula 1 race in 2005. I was ten years old. The first time I heard a Formula 1 engine, I got scared. And somehow, yes, as Daniel said, the sound really intimidated me. I thought: ‘These guys are crazy. Who jumps into one of these things and goes full throttle?”
“That’s how I became a fan of the sport, and Fernando [Alonso] and Michael [Schumacher] became my idols back then. Since then, I’ve always wanted to be a Formula 1 driver. And there’s definitely not that element anymore. You can’t talk when the engines are on, but it’s not the same anymore, no. “
