Australian GP Organisers Claim Poor Engine Sound Spoiled F1 Spectacle

Despite considering the Australian Grand Prix a success, the organisers of the event were unhappy with sound of the new V6 hybrid engines as they believed it ruined the spectacle for the fans.

Australian Grand Prix Corporation chairman Ron Walker revealed he would be speaking to F1 bosses on what he considered a reduction of the aural spectacle and breach of contract.

He told Melbourne Age newspaper: “I was absolutely delighted with the whole weekend, but I was not too happy with the sound. 

“I walked in the botanical gardens and you could hear the sound of the twin-seater F1 car of Paul Stoddart sweeping around the circuit, but you couldn’t hear these new turbo cars. If you sat in the grandstand, you could hardly hear them coming down the straight. It’s clearly in breach of our contract.

“We are an entertainment company and we have to entertain the public. Everybody was talking about it. When you take the excitement away, you have trouble selling tickets. You have to create demand and part of that demand is people liking the noise of the race cars.

“We are resolving that with Bernie. I was talking to him [Sunday] night and it’s not what we paid for. It’s going to change. He’s horrified about it. It will be an issue for all promoters all round the world.”

He also claimed that it was a problem all organisers will face.

F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone, who is not a fan of the new engines, admitted that one or two other promoters have also expressed their concen.

He told Reuters: “I’ve had one or two [promoters] get in touch and they said how unhappy they are. I spoke to [Ferrari president] Luca di Montezemolo just now and he said he’s never had as many emails on his desk complaining and saying this isn’t F1.

“Let’s assume [Walker] hasn’t got a point as far as the legal side is going. Then you have to look at it from a moral side. If you went into the supermarket today and bought some strawberry jam and you got peanut butter you’d probably be a bit pissed off. Whether the contract describes what he’d bought, the strawberry jam with so many strawberries, I don’t know. I doubt it. I think he bought the FIA Formula One World Championship – which is what he’s got.”

{jcomments on}