Magnetti Marelli explain F1 engine sound tweaks for 2016

On the back of the introduction of regulation tweaks to improve the noise of Formula One's modern hybrid V6 engines, Magnetti Marelli's sporting chief explains the reasoning behind it.

The modifications were written into the technical rulebook for 2016 after the FIA entrusted Italian firm Magneti Marelli with analysing the issues. The Italian company's thorough investigation showed two serious problems.

During a chat with Motorsport-Total, Magnetti Marelli's sporting director Roberto Dalla confirmed there we two items missing to produce the sound that fans are looking for.

„Firstly there is the amplitude, secondly there is the high frequency.”

Dalla also said that the FIA's rule changes for 2016 are a good step forward to fix the frequency issue, noting that the 2016 cars will "not be that far away from the value that we advised.”

Such change was implemented by a regulation change which now stipulates that each car must have one or two seperate tailpipes to allow the wastegate to bleed of excessive pressure gas. In 2014 and 2015, this gas was being fed into the main exhaust pipe, just after the turbine, which dampened the noise, acting as a filter for high frequency sound.

The Head of hybrid systems at Magnetti Marelli, Andrea Dappiano, further clarified that this will not effectively increase the noise, but only result in higher frequency noise, which will lead people to believe there is more noise.

The main advantage of this solution is that the engines themselves did not have to be modified, something which Mercedes has long been opposed of in fear of losing its current competitive advantage.

Still, with Magnetti Marelli having laid down a large number of reports, further measures cannot be ruled out for 2017.

"We will support FIA and continue our investigations" promised Dalla. "What the FIA has to do is to discuss the possibilities with the teams to find the correct balance between the increase of the sound and the loss of performance."

Magneti Marelli promises it will lay stress upon aesthetics. „That is simply part of the show. A big trumpet or a megaphone simply look strange" concluded Dalla.