I wasn't going to the British Grand Prix, but ...

TaKeN said:
Interesting, I was also sat at Village for Qually and Luffield for the race..

Each to their own tbh. I heard the V8s last year at the young drivers test, and eventually it all just gets too much.
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Oh I agree the V8's did get a bit too much especially on race day when it was constant.
 
Regarding the new engines as I said earlier I was surprised that there was almost universal acceptance within the leading teams that something has to be done. There is an air of inevitability that things will change in 2016.
 
Duke said:
About just the noise of them?
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The general feeling is the cars don't sound as impressive anymore and there is a concern this will affect popularity. Fuel flow isn't popular but isn't so much of an issue.

GP2 sounds awesome compared to this year's V6s and that's the wrong way round really.
 
Spie said:
The general feeling is the cars don't sound as impressive anymore and there is a concern this will affect popularity. Fuel flow isn't popular but isn't so much of an issue.

GP2 sounds awesome compared to this year's V6s and that's the wrong way round really.
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I can see them restricting noise output for the "lower" classes, it's easier, cheaper and "greener" ;)
 
So many words/phrases have been 'ruined' by Alan Partridge. By that I mean I can't help but think of him when I hear or read them. Unfortunately Jackie Stewart plus Silverstone is on the list.

PS - Spie - jammy sod! Hope you're keeping well.


[Cut to Alan and Jill in Alan’s car, driving down an A-road.]

Alan: Ah, that is the best Valentine’s Day I’ve had in eight years.
Jill: What did you do eight years ago?
Alan: I just had a better one.
Jill: What did you do?
Alan: Went to Silverstone. Shook Jackie Stewart’s hand. Superb. My marriage fell apart soon after that.
 
Spie said:
The general feeling is the cars don't sound as impressive anymore and there is a concern this will affect popularity. Fuel flow isn't popular but isn't so much of an issue.

GP2 sounds awesome compared to this year's V6s and that's the wrong way round really.
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I know you don't like the new noise, but I expect in a few years loud engine noises like that would become associated as being old engine tech. It's all about turbo whistles and whines :p I wouldn't mind if they were a touch louder but I think they sound more interesting than just being plain loud.
 
Duke said:
I know you don't like the new noise, but I expect in a few years loud engine noises like that would become associated as being old engine tech. It's all about turbo whistles and whines :p I wouldn't mind if they were a touch louder but I think they sound more interesting than just being plain loud.
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People love loud cars, but not just because they are loud (although some are), but because they sound awesome too. A German flat 6, an American V8, an Italian V8 or an Italian V12 - they can all be loud be they all have their own character too. I think saying the F1 V8s were just loud isn't doing them justice. You should have heard the crowd cheer at Silverstone this weekend when the RBR V8 did a lap. Everyone said the same thing - "that's what an F1 car should sound like".
 
Thinking about the sound - think I saw somewhere on twitter over the last 2 days that Ferrari have been trying a different exhaust arrangement on their car to see if it improves sound - separating out the wastegate from actual exhaust or something. Wonder how that works.

Would like them to improve the exhaust note, it's the rest of the sounds that make it good currently. It's not very musical at the moment :P If they could improve the exhaust note without losing out on the various turbo noises!
 
My thoughts when asked for feedback on F1Fanatic

I went to testing in Jerez this year and then to Barcelona a couple of weeks back. I am conflicted on the new engines.

Firstly, they’re pretty much unchanged from testing in Jerez to now. They’re certainly using more of the engine range now but they sound the same and they’re no louder than before.

Looking back at the V8 era, I went to the last Istanbual grand prix a few years back. I took my fiancee and it was her first experience of F1. Getting off the bus about 1 km from the circuit during the middle of FP1, her eyes widened at the sound of the engines (even though it was a wet track). We walked up behind the main grandstand, the noise grew, and her reaction was amazing. Then, going trackside, she had the full V8 experience. The V8s were intimidating – you don’t hear them, you feel them, using more than one sense. The noise and sheer demonstration of power is awe-inspiring. You’re left with no doubt that you’re at a serious motorsport event. However, by the Sunday and 5 laps into the race, we were both reaching for the ear plugs – it just gets too much.

Fast forward to Jerez testing and things were very different. We parked up less than 200 metres away from circuit entrance B and it was silent. Getting to the gates and we could hear something. Onto the track and, as others have said, you can stand just metres away, and the experience is very different. The V6 noise is rich, but they clearly don’t have the same engine rev range and there’s no wall of noise. You do get to hear other interesting mechanical sounds though.

Moving on to Barcelona, and the noise was the same as Jerez. Completely bearable with the whole grid going past at once (we were at turn 1). You can hear the turbo spinning under power and under breaking, and the mechanical sounds of gear changes are now audible. As others have observed, you can hear the tyres squeal too, and when the drivers run over the kerbs (Ricciardo was the only driver in Barcelona to consistently run wide onto the kerb before entering turn 1) you can hear the buzz of the vibration.

Early on in the Barcelona race weekend, I made my mind up that I preferred the new V6 sounds. Interesting noises, loud for sure but not deafening, and a good note although it would be nice if they revved higher. However, then a support race came on (I forget which, but using V8s). They were louder, revved more, and suddenly it felt like the F1 cars that had just left the track no longer represented the pinnacle of motorsport. Suddenly they seemed rather underwhelming, to the point where I really struggle to make my mind on what I prefer.

My final observation is that the V6 engines and exhaust produce a very one-directional sound. If you’re not facing the exhaust, they’re pretty much silent. On the V8s, it didn’t matter where you were – they were just loud.

If pushed to choose I would take the V6s. There are plus points for race days, notably that you can hold a conversation at the track during the race rather than sit there dumbly for 2 hours with ear plugs in. But I miss feeling the sound of the power as well as hearing it.
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Do you overclock Mercedes' ECUs or something? What an incredible oppurtunity you have, and a British win to make the day practically perfect! Interesting Jude Law was at your event too, he was in the corridor that the drivers walk through to get to their post weigh in drink of water, he was the first non-f1 person to say well done to him lol.
 
I'm with you Abyss. The positives of the V6s outweigh the negatives, and even more so for the 99% of spectators who aren't trackside.

Considering everything that could have gone belly up with the new rules, if the only thing people can find to complain about is the noise then I think they can be considered a success. F1 as a whole is better off for having them.
 
I saw more action, battles, and "lets try a different line to see if I can get him" through Luffield last Sunday than I have in the previous 10 years of Silverstone F1 races combined! All down to the power delivery and torque of the new engines completely changing how they take that corner.

Martin Brundle made a good comment during one of the earlier races this season, that the tracks have more corners now than they used too.

Yet people persist that they are a disaster and will be scrapped purely because they, in their opinion, don't like the sound. Its like saying Ferrari are a rubbish team and have never acheived anything and should just quit F1, all because you don't like red.
 
MooMoo444 said:
I'm more interested in the racing. The cars could be electric and silent for all I care, as long as we get good action.
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So you will be one of the people pleased if the FIA change the rules to close up the racing because as long as you get good racing the rest is irrelevant to you? If it was silent I guarentee it would impact on the spectacle. How about you just turn the mute button on the tv and then watch a race. :p
 
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