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Television networks covering Formula 1 will walk away from the sport if the environmentally-friendly engines are adopted from 2013.

That is the view of Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who reckons the planned move into smaller, turbo engines from 2013 will only be bad for grand prix racing.

"I'm anti, anti, anti, anti moving into this small turbo four formula," Ecclestone told the Australian Associated Press.

"We don't need it and if it's so important it's the sort of thing that should be in saloon car racing.

"The rest of it is basically PR - it's nothing in the world to do with Formula 1. These changes are going to be terribly costly to the sport.

"I'm sure the promoters will lose a big audience and I'm quite sure we'll lose TV."

The F1 boss admitted he was "at loggerheads" with FIA president Jean Todt over the matter.

"He's not a promoter and he's not selling Formula 1. to be honest. Jean and I are a little bit at loggerheads over this engine. I don't see the reason for it.

"We had the KERS system and this was supposed to solve the problem that Formula 1 is not green and now we've got something else."

Ecclestone also reckons the lower noise from smaller engines will make people lose interest in Formula 1.

"I meet people worldwide in all different walks of life - sponsors, promoters and journalists and I think there are two things that are really important for Formula 1," he said.

"One is Ferrari and second is the noise. People love and get excited about the noise. People who have never been to a Formula 1 race, when they leave you ask them what (they liked) and they say 'the noise'.

"I brought some Russian gentlemen to Singapore and I met them afterwards in Russia - it was the first race they'd ever been to and I said what was it that impressed you.

"I didn't even think about the noise and they said the most important thing was the noise - it's incredible, it really gets to you. It's unbelievable that even more so the women - the ladies love the noise."