F1 chief Domenicali makes PROMISE that will DELIGHT fans

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has claimed that engines will be louder at the start of the 2026 season and says F1 now needs a 'different sound'.

Since the sport switched to turbo-hybrid V6 engines in 2014, cars have become dramatically quieter in comparison to the old V12 and V10 eras.

It has been one of the main criticism from fans with many observers saying loud cars should be part of the F1 experience.

A new raft of regulations are set to come into force from the beginning of the 2026 season with major changes to the power units being a key component.

There will be a boost in electrical power usage as the sport attempts to reduce its carbon footprint, while sustainable fuels will also be rolled out.

Domenicali says that while a return to the loudness of V10 and V12 cars is out of the question, cars will have considerably more grunt in this new cycle of regulations.

READ MORE: F1 2026 engine regulations set for final FIA approval

“We need to have a different sound," he told Australian radio station 3AW, as reported in Motorsport Week. "It’s music for my ears. It’s true that we had the 12 cylinders, it was a different frequency, very loud. And then 10, eight, six – it’s not [going] again down.

“It’s just the situation is different. Of course, we need to be hybrid, we’re going to be hybrid for the future.

“But the intention is to make sure in the new regulation the engine [noise] itself will be higher because that’s part of our emotion.

“It is really what our fans want to hear and that’s the duty for us to commit to that.”

READ MORE: F1 Team Principals: Who are the men in charge in 2023?

Related

Latest F1 News

F1 boss HITS BACK at star driver over schedule complaints

• April 26, 2024 17:58

Stefano Domenicali

Stefano Domenicali life and career: How Ferrari fuelled his rise to F1 chief

• March 7, 2024 16:57