F1 drivers could have the ability to personalise the sound their engine makes if new ‘sound magnifier’ technology is homologated by the FIA, according to a sensational report this morning.
The technology is being produced in Germany in response to widespread criticism of the noise of the 2014-spec F1 cars and could be included on the cars as soon as the British Grand Prix, according to a report by Ausgezeichnet Paloirfol Bild, a German-language news agency.
Formula One Management (FOM) are thought to be in talks with the German manufacturer to buy 26 prototypes of the device, which works by magnifying and increasing the pitch of the current standard F1 V6 engine. It raises the distinct possibility of drivers and/or teams being able to adapt the sound of their cars to their own tune, as did Renault in 2006 when they made an engine ‘sing’ the British national anthem.
Pastor Maldonado is known to be a fan of mariachi, while Lewis Hamilton is unlikely to be featuring any Pussycat Dolls material at the present time. Sebastian Vettel is reported to be a devotee of hardcore German techno fused with Austrian yodelling, although it is thought unlikely that any team will permit the theme from Wacky Races.
