Mercedes will test a new ‘megaphone’ exhaust in Spain this week.
Since the new 2014 Formula One World Championship began there has been a lot of talk about the sports new sound.
This is all down to the change in engine regulations for this season.
The old engines used up until the end of the 2013 Formula One season were 2.4-litre naturally aspirated V8s and they may a very high pitched scream.
This season they were replaced by the new 1.6-litre turbo-charged V6 engines supported by energy recovery systems. The new engines are a lot quieter, with the old scream replaced with a lower gruntier noise.
The change has received a mixed response, initially the teams and fans appeared to not like the change. But as the Grand Prix tick by, you hear less and less complaints.
However the race circuit promoters are still very much in favour of turning up the volume.
It might miss the point of a greener Formula One, with noise, basically being lost energy, but Formula One is also a showcase and if improving the noise is needed then it seems Formula One will look at the options.
Mercedes executive director (technical) Paddy Lowe has revealed that Mercedes will test a trumpet cone shape device attached to the end of the exhaust during Wednesday morning’s test session at the Circuit de Catalunya.
‘If the fans want to have more noise, then we’ll go for it,’ said Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff to the BBC.
‘I’m sure everybody is looking forward to hearing what the ‘megaphone’ is going to be like.’
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