F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said the sport is just giving what fans want.
The fan-favorite V10 and V12 Formula 1 engine noises may never return to the scene, but the sport will make the current V6 engines sound better. According to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, the 2026 engine regulations are intended to produce improved engine sounds.
“Of course, we need to be hybrid, we're gonna be hybrid for the future but the intention is to make sure in the new regulation, the engine sound will be higher because that's part of our emotion. It's really what our fans want to hear,” said Domenicali during an interview with Australian radio station 3AW.
Compared to V10s and V12s that made high-pitched, screaming engine sounds, the current 1.6-liter V6 engine produces rumbling noise. Although some fans are starting to appreciate the present engine noise, F1 appears to be on the move to make it even louder.
The large displacement engines were discontinued in favor of an environmentally-friendlier power unit. F1 is taking hybridization up a notch in the new engine regulations, including using synthetic fuel that will be 100 percent carbon neutral.
“We have taken the direction of using, for the future, sustainable fuel with hybrid engines and that's where we believe we're going to stay for many, many years.”
Despite the rapid hybrid push, Domenicali said in the same interview that the future of F1 is not electric. After all, the Federal International de I'Automobile (FIA) already has that format with Formula E.
With all that being said, the engine suppliers from 2026 should have a new task at hand, which is coming up with new engine sounds.
By 2026, Honda will return to Aston Martin as its official engine supplier. Audi and Ford will join F1 as the providers of the new hybrid power units for Sauber and Red Bull, respectively. Both brands should leverage their road-going electric vehicle (EV) program that produces cars like the Ford F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E, and Audi RS e-tron GT.
Keyword: Formula 1 Cars Will Get Louder Despite Becoming Greener