Verstappen sceptical about 'louder' F1 engines: 'I wonder about that'

Louder engines in F1

New engine regulations will go into effect in 2026, and F1's CEO has one goal for that: the sound has to be louder. Since the introduction of the V6 hybrid engines, fans and drivers have complained about the lack of sound the engines produce. From 2026, despite a largely similar engine to today, that should change, according to Domenicali.

"I think we would all welcome that," Russell said in Austria. ''I think the perception of speed with sound sort of goes together. I think there's something to be said that you want that noise, that buzz around the track. Yeah, I welcome it, definitely.''

Verstappen is sceptical

Hulkenberg agrees with Russell, and unlike Russell and Verstappen, Hulkenberg was already driving engines that produced much more noise. ''I think from back in the day when I came to always approaching the track before my time in F1, you could hear the cars miles and miles away and that was part of the excitement, you get goosebumps. It's an emotion and I think we've had definitely less of that.''

Verstappen is a big fan of the old F1 engines but is sceptical after Domenicali's words. ''I wonder, of course, how much can be done,'' said the two-time world champion. Despite being very young at 25, Verstappen knows better than anyone what the sound used to sound like. After all, as a child, he went to the track with his father Jos Verstappen.

''Back in the day, if you would walk into the paddock and there was a free practice session going on it was quite… From a far distance you were like, wow, this is incredible even though the speeds were, on a straight, slower than what we're doing now. So yeah, the sound definitely has a big, big influence on that. I would definitely welcome it," Verstappen concludes.