Mercedes simulate F1 engine noise at Monza in 2014

2014 F1 season

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Mercedes have released the latest simulation of what Formula One cars will sound like after new engine regulations come into force next year.

Teams will switch from the current normally aspirated, 2.4-litre V8 engines to 1.6-litre trubocharged V6 engines. Uprated Energy Recovery Systems will replace the current KERS.

The new power units are expected to have comparable power outputs to the current engines, but use significantly less fuel.

Mercedes say the video provides “the most accurate impression so far of how the new Power Units will sound in 2014, with a maximum rev limit of 15,000 rpm and a single turbocharger spinning at speeds of up to 125,000 rpm”. It shows a video lap of Monza on the team’s simulator synchronised to an audio recording of one of its development V6s.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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122 comments on “Mercedes simulate F1 engine noise at Monza in 2014”

  1. I really like it; in fact, I’d say the noise of the thing (which many people are going to be attacking) is almost as good as the current V8 engines.

    1. While it doesn’t sound as bad as I thought, “almost as good as the current V8s” is nothing to gloat about. The V8s sound rubbish.

      My biggest worry is that it sounds like a GP2 car. It’s like you FEEL the imposed limit in revs, and you FEEL it could be a lot better, and a lot more exciting…

      1. The V8s sound is rubbish? What you on about? Whats there no to like?

        1. Compared to the big V12s or even to the V10s, the current V8s sound like a cat getting a prostate exam. And these new fancy power units might sound even worst. Also, I’ll think they’ll break down a lot more often then expected (in the beginning, at least).

        2. @pmccarthy_is_a_legend I was born during the V10 / V12 era. So yeah, the V8s sound rubbish.

      2. OmarR-Pepper (@)
        3rd August 2013, 17:12

        @fer-no65 when the engine was on full throttle, I thought it was just on 3rd gear (sounds that way)

    2. I still don’t buy this could be the actual situation. Allianz could very well pull away their sponsorships for Monza, 2014. And Pirelli may not have a contract, Mercedes has assumed too many things.
      Oh and there would be a car between them wheels.
      ~

  2. Sounds good to me (and perhaps only me…)

    It will be interesting to hear them being simulated on the F1 2014 game! :)

  3. Sounds fine to me. Sounds like an engine. Sounds fact, sounds powerful. Though I’m rubbish a telling any difference anyway. After 2 races we’ll all be used to it and it won’t matter if it didn’t sound like before.

    Worried about the lack of nosecone and suspension though.

    1. @ajokay

      Worried about the lack of nosecone and suspension though.

      The W05 is a radical beast.

      1. @keithcollantine, I hope it works if it really is one or is to be one…

        1. Thought I know you were being slightly sarcastic

      2. I believe it uses entirely passive suspension. Very, very passive.

        1. Can we call it the Button Suspension?

      3. Certainly would save a lot of weight. Don’t know about the balance though, might be a lot of understeer.

      4. LMAO!!! Comment of the season!

    2. Pretty much my thoughts exactly.

    3. Perhaps it’s another six-wheeler and the camera is mounted level with the back wheels on the front wing? ;)

    4. Sounds *fast, obviously, not fact. Still doesn’t sounds as good as a GT sportscar engine though.

    5. Beter idea from mercedes to do a simulation lap than Renault who just put a single acceleration or so …
      Quite like the sound and it’s a bit like the early video games. I’m sure it will quickly become normal after some races. Maybe we will hear the ERS and have that “electronic” sound added to it, like for hybrid LMP cars, and I love this sound, has something different and a signature.

    6. I think you got it wrong. The nosecone and front wing is there but for 2014 Mercedes decided to screw the sponsors and use the new invisi-livery. That way it becomes much easier for Brawn to work his “magic”….

    7. @ajokay

      Worried about the lack of nosecone and suspension though.

      I just thought this video was funny. But your comment was much funnier.

    8. I prefer no nose at all to the stepped nose nonsense.

  4. The sound will only be better when they actually put in a car and get it round the track. The dyno room at the factory probably isnt the best for acoustics.

    Sounds great to me….like a F1 engine. Quite high pitched.

    I was looking forward to watching these guys round Melbourne next year…too bad some other commitments have got in the way…

    1. Taht’s what I was thinking too, this is no way to tell how the engine will really sound. I’ve seen people on other, less f1-fanatical, forums rubbish this video, and not without reason. It does sound a bit like a vacuum cleaner, and when coupled with a computer-game like visual, it’s not really winning 2014 any fans.

  5. Very long 7th gear, will they use 8th gear gearbox.

    1. I noticed the gearing too, quick shifts in the lower gears and very long top gear

    2. They will all have 8 gears, as defined in the rules. 7 forward and a rear.

      1. @bascb You’re wrong, 8 forward ratios. Reverse doesn’t count.

        1. Ah, my mistake. thanks for correcting that @Roald!

  6. My only major complaint about the noise is that it sounds too placid on downshifts (there’s almost no noise) but besides that it sounds perfectly fine to me – I’d happily trade the much greater sophistication for a slightly timid downshift!

    1. It’ll be a great start at Monza. A cacophony of engine noise at the start, followed by near silence as they brake for the chicane, followed by another burst of noise. Why make noise when you can harvest energy? T’is the future!

  7. I like it, sounds almost jet-like. That being said I do feel that in the slow corners there’s almost no sound at all. Still, i’d let that slide because I am sure other things will make up for that.

    1. @mahavirshah

      I still prefer no sound to the sound of exhaust being blown over a diffuser.

  8. I was hoping for some turbo-whining beast, this is underwhelming. I just hope they are still theatre loud, clearly the scream will become a thing of the past :(

    1. Turbos don’t whine. You’re thinking of supercharging…

  9. I’m not convinced on the sound if I’m honest – sounds a bit too ordinary and nondescript. Doesn’t scream like the current V8s.

  10. I read on BBC the other day that these engines will have about 850 hp (with ERS) so they will be about 100 hp more powerful then current engines. And I think that’s good, because more power and less downforce will destabilize balance of F1 cars and overtaking will be easier. I also think that it’d be good to get rid of DRS for next year or at leats try to experiment and not use it in some races.

  11. WilliamB (@william-brierty)
    2nd August 2013, 10:15

    I must admit that after hearing the Renault engine, I was close to tears. I may even have uttered the words, “maybe WEC will be the pinnacle of motorsport in 2014”, however what this video proves is just how huge a drama queen. Hearing the whole rev range I am pleasantly surprised, and I have to say that I really rather like the noise. OK, it’s too quiet on downshift, it could be higher pitched and could do with a volume boost all round, but even after loosing two cylinders and installing things as satanic as turbos, F1 is still sounding rather nice.

    1. +1 COTD

    2. It (Merc-Benz V6) actually sounds like my £30 vacuum cleaner…it genuinely does.

    3. Here’s an idea about the volume… turn up the knob?

      1. to 11

        1. Traverse (@)
          3rd August 2013, 1:19

          Why don’t they just make 10 louder?

          1. No run off areas?

  12. Sounds pretty pathetic, frankly.
    Let’s hope that it is very loud, as the new low rev-limit makes things sound very dull.
    They should go back to V-12’s, in my opinion…….:)

    1. They should go back to V-12′s, in my opinion…….:)

      If you like V12’s, You may like this:
      http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbM7X17wy_hu1ZKn3ijj7HzVACyupUm_E

    2. I’m sure the sound you heard on the video, in terms of volume, can be edited via you audio settings.

    3. @paulguitar Make those V12’s supercharged/turbocharged and I’ll just love your idea :).

      1. They would be pretty lively……….:)

    4. You have my vote for president of the FIA.

      1. Thanks, I will not let you down……:)

  13. What worries me is rather the lack of any spectator around the track… I mean, seeing a pair of front wheels tearing the track by themselves while producing such a noise is quite a show: I would have turned up there virtually if i had known…

    1. Secretly, the sound is coming from two hamsters inside the wheels.
      They’re the reason the wheels are moving :)

      1. I like you, @cg22me.

  14. I really quite like it. Yes, it’s different, but I expect it will take a lot less getting used to than the 2009 wide front wing/stupidly narrow rear wing, or the dropped noses of last year.

    Infact, I’m still not quite over the rear wings yet.

  15. I don’t think they used 8th gear, did they? It’s only going to sound better on the race track, a dyno usually makes an engine sound less good. And still I like it!

    Will be good not to have engines hitting the rev limiter anymore on every straight there is.

    1. 8th gear?

      1. @gdewilde Mandetory, 8 gears from next year on.

        1. Mandatory*

        2. If the new engines will have more torque, why do they need more gears? Is the power band going to be narrower? Sounds like an odd setup, but I expect they have their reasons.

          1. @JimG The ratios will be fixed for the whole year, with only final drive ratio adjustable. I have no idea why, to be honest. Durability of gearboxes? That could tie in with the increased torque. It would be tempting to push the limits when making cogs that will only be used at one track, but if the design must be reliable the whole year, you’d err on the side of caution. That doesn’t answer why they need eight though… any help?

          2. @splittimes I was under the impression it was a cost issue to prevent teams using expensive simulation equipment to suss out the ideal ratios. I imagine it was mainly to add a new tactical element to the seasons though – if you’ve got nothing to lose, do you just optimise your gearing for Monza in the vain hope of scoring good points?

    2. I believe they did: coming up to the first corner, the driver’s in eighth gear, then downshifts six times to second gear.

  16. I like it, it´s different but I still feel like we are being robbed of the high pitch… It feels like it still has some “whine” to go. It´s almost anti-climatic but this definitely sounds much better than the Renault. I guess we´ll have to wait to hear it on track.

    @keithcollantine

    The W05 is a radical beast.

    Have you seen pics of it already? If so, please share a link!

    1. He was joking…

  17. To me it sounds like it’s constantly short-shifting, presumably because the rev limiter is something like 4,000 rpm less than what I’m used to. But other than that I like it.

    I’m a big fan of the idea of the new engines anyway, so even if it did sound terrible (which it doesn’t) I would still be happy with it. The fact that we haven’t seen a car maker join F1 for more than 10 years is a real testament to just how irrelevant the current engines are. Honda have already announced an F1 return which goes to show that the new V6s are an enourmous step in the right direction. They’ll be the first of many, I’m sure.

    1. Afraid not, because the engine development will gradually be frozen again. There’s free development allowed throughout 2014, restricted in the first few years after that. A certain amount of points is assigned to to every piece of engine and only a certain amount of points can be “spent” on engine development each year, with the amount of points being reduced every year. I think by 2018 the engine development will be frozen again, just like we have now. So Honda has just enough time to keep up with development of the others, but there’s no chance other manufacturers will want to enter F1 with an engine they can only work so little on while the competition is lightyears ahead of them. It’s the dumbest thing ever really.

      1. I believe it’s frozen from 2014-2018, only allowed to fix/update spots of unreliability like piston rings, wrist pins, con-rods, etc.

        1. Sounds like Honda should absolutely blitz it for development before they enter in 2015 then.

        2. @beejis60 Afraid not, there’s less development spoints to be spent every year until there’s a freeze again in 2018. Look it up. The biggest mistake ever if you want to attract manufacturers.

          1. Good to know… I thought it was fully frozen until 2018, updates allowed at that time, then refrozen. I found the quote from Sam Michael saying it’s gradually frozen up to 2018; that’s probably what I read and obviously misunderstood it.

          2. I mean Michael Schmidt… getting my letters and names mixed up

    2. Rev-Limit is 15,000rpm on the new power units so 3,000 less than today.

      For reference, Indycar’s rev-limit on there V6 Turbo engine’s is 12,0000rpm.
      Honda (Single Turbo)-
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvWhnSjYkzk
      Chevrolet (Twin-Turbo)-
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inHtSQv8iS4

  18. Better than I expected, but still, it is not looking (or better, sounding) good.

  19. Sounds like my dentist’s office

  20. Awful, truly awful. :(

  21. Sounds like a leaf blower, horrible.

    1. Did you even watch the video?

      1. lol, I’m worried where he buys his leaf blowers from.

      2. I did and it sounded shocking, pathetic really. Obviously a simulation so could be much better but at the moment it’s a joke.

    2. That’s because it blows, mate :)).

  22. I don’t like it. I want my 20k rpm back. I almost fell asleep listening to this pathetic 15k street car sound. Sorry.

  23. Awful.
    As was the v8 compared to the v10.
    But half a loaf is better than no bread I guess?

    Starting from 2014 each spectator will be given ear trumpets.
    And one day they will race on bikes – the ultimate eco-friendly monoplace vehicle – for some tremendous 5 laps in 2 hours while playing old v12 sounds through speakers all around the circuit.
    Oh I can’t wait any longer …

  24. Michael Brown (@)
    2nd August 2013, 12:08

    I thought it sounded pretty badass.

  25. I only hope that because it’s a simulation it’s less than accurate. It sounds a bit digitally. I’ve higher hopes for the real turbos.

  26. Sounds rubbish.

  27. I really don’t understand those people who keeps saying that they like the new engine sound. It might be only me, but I prefer the kind of sound that makes your heart thump when an F1 car races by. This sounded so much more… lower, refined and pretty. With the new engine, when you are physically on the track, the noise levels will be nothing compared to this year’s cars. The sounds are an integral part of F1. Please don’t take it away from us.

    1. Pitch of the engine and the rpm have nothing to do with how loud the engine is. In years gone by, when you had the screaming V12s in the Aston Martin GT cars, they’d wail on by with a lovely tone, but would be absolutely drowned out by the 5,000rpm thunder of the Corvette’s. Those cars would shake the grandstands and make your teeth rattle.

      There’s nothing in this video that gives you any idea whatsoever of how loud the cars will be when you’re standing trackside. Even in terms of how it’s going to sound on the TV, it’s just an approximation because of the operating environment and the limitations that creates.

  28. Renault and Merc engines sound god-awful.
    Ferrari is the truly last hope for a proper engine with character.

    1. @ausuma As tight as the engine regulations are, it’ll sound exactly the same.

  29. Based on this they could sound like a swarm of angry bees, but I’ll wait until I’ve heard one from outside the car.

    The lap’s about 1min 23 though, so it’s quick.

    And I see it’s not using Michelins…

  30. Sorry, but no. The sound is just not good enough. I cannot honestly say that this sounds good or anywhere close to what a proper Formula One car should sound like. Not with the sound of V12’s or V10’s in the back of my mind.

    Quo vadis, F1?

    1. Define ‘proper F1 car’?

      In my opinion, a ‘proper F1 car’ is one built to the rules outlined in the regulations. This is the sound (or an approximation of it) that a car built to the rules will make, hence it is the sound of a ‘proper F1 car’.

      1. We’re dangerously close to “my opinion vs your opinion” here, but oh well.

        I expect the 2014 Mercedes to be an F1 car, but from what I hear in this video, the sound makes it an “unproper” F1 car for me.

        1. Uhhh, *improper.

          Not being a native hurts.

  31. Michael Brown (@)
    2nd August 2013, 15:04

    While I think the engine will sound good (after all, the engine was performing on a dyno) it will still be 2-3 seconds slower than the cars of today (according to Charlie). Why? Why do teams spend enormous amounts of money trying to get their cars to go faster, but each year they get slower and slower anyway?

    1. @lite992 Next year’s aerodynamics will make the cars slower, not the engine itself. The torque will increase by a LOT. It’s the lowered noses, narrower front wing, shallower rear wing, lack of beam wing and increased overall car weight that will slow them down. Who cares? We might see cars coming out of corners with more power than downforce again, I could care less about laptimes if it makes for exciting racing.

  32. I’m glad I kept my F1 ’98 game for PSOne, I always knew it would come back into style.

  33. Seemed like they were saving the tires that lap…

    1. hahahaha! absolutely right :)

  34. Anyone that would dismiss a significantly more powerful powertrain on the basis that they don’t think it sounds as nice as a much less powerful powertrain has no business calling themselves a motorsports fan, frankly.

    1. you know, electric cars can be much more powerful than fuel powered cars… so let’s switch to formulec!

  35. Near my house is racing ground for models, so I record this sound, on my phone I have ring sound of V8 and when I listen all, new 6 engine is closer to model than to v8, not to mention v10 or old Ferrari b12. If you remember old turbo 4 has stronger sound.

  36. Certainly sound is one sensory stimulant in the overall Formula 1 experience. F1 has survived various iterations of 4s, 6s, 8s, 10s, 12s and such over the years and fans still clamor for the turnstyles and sofas to take in the spectacle that is the pinnacle of motorsports racing. So far all we have for a tease of the possible 2014 motor sounds are essentially simulated. We have yet to actually here the new motors scream in anger under actual track and racing conditions. It is seriously doubtful those who are complaining loudly about the as yet unheard actual new F1 motor sounds will really stop watching F1 or even tune in with the sound turned off. Frankly, I’m more interested in torque whilst accelerating out of corners and what that may do for the racing and overtaking.

    1. *here* = hear

  37. David not Coulthard (@)
    2nd August 2013, 17:26

    The sound reminds me of an old F1 car, so it’s rather good (though that statement may have had something to do with the fact that there was an era where the engines were a litre & a half big in terms of capacity).

  38. maybe Keith or someone could find some videos of different F1 engine sounds over the years to show how they are different. Maybe we can have a poll to see which we like best?

  39. In the 21st century car manufacturers release PR stuff with the sound of their engines and people are crying about the sound of them. Nice, really nice. Something interesting would be if these engines could barely be heard and eat only 50 liters of fuel per race.

  40. Even with dts on it still sounds like an angry wasp.

  41. There must be some mistake in the video. That’s the sound of Hubert Booth’s vacuum cleaner patented on August 30, 1901.

  42. If anybody is interested this article goes into great detail on the sound and what the engineers think the real sounds will be. They say that this sound is an example but in the real world it will sound different then this. Also they will maybe comfort some of you because they say that because of the layout they will on track sound the same as the V8’s just with a lower tone. Its interesting to read guys http://www.f1technical.net/news/18677?sid=1b61f4a0bcad5fbd7bbbdcb199033dd3

  43. 1981 Ligier, Matra V12: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFRA-0o87FE

    That’s more like it

  44. 1 minute 34 seconds lap around Monza… hmmm !

  45. All these people comparing it to vacuum cleaners & other such appliances must be deaf as it sounds nothing like any of these things.

    To me it sounds like a racing engine, A powerful & very fast racing engine & I love it!

    In the 80s nobody complained about the turbo’s, in fact they complained when they were banned. Nobody ever complained about the cart/champcar turbo’s, In fact they all complained about the N/A IRL V8′s. Nobody has complained about the current Indycar V6 turbo engines, in fact the fans love the way they sound & much prefer them to the 3.5ltr V8′s indycar used before.

    Everytime there is any sort of change to F1 be it aero rules, tyre rules or engine rules everyone always whines about how ‘f1 is dead’, yet when the change comes through the whining stops. When the current V8′s were introduced everyone whined, yet now they want the V8′s to remain.

    Were going to V6 turbo’s because thats what the manufacturer’s want, Thats why Honda’s coming back. Consider that both F1 & Indycar asked manufacturer’s what they wanted for the engine formula & its therefore no surprise that both Indy & F1 went with V6 Turbo’s, Thats the direction the actual engine manufacturer’s who actually have to produce these engines want engine development to go.

    Were never going back to V12′s, They were too inefficient & created far too many problems (Size, weight, fuel consumption, heat), Thats why Ferrari ditched the V12 to begin with for 1996 in favor of a V10.
    Likewise were not going back to V10′s regardless of how much whining is done & likewise its time for the current V8′s to be put to bed.

    You can’t just stick with an engine formula just because the fans like the sound of N/A V8/10/12′s, The manufacturer’s want turbo’s because thats the way the world is going. You stick with the current N/A formula & F1′s engine technology will become irrelevant & the engine manufacturer’s will leave, Then what do you do when it becomes a single engine formula or something?

    Look around, Practically everything is going small capacity turbo (With energy recovery systems), Thats what engine manufacturer’s want so if you want to encourage engine manufacturer’s into F1 thats the direction you have to go!

    Besides the V6 turbo’s sound like race engine’s, the racing will still be good & the cars will still look spectacular fast through the corners, Speeds & laptimes won’t change significantly & F1 will still be F1!

    F1 2014 & its new engine formula can’t come soon enough, Really looking forward to the future (Just wish they would ditch DRS & bring proper racing tyres) :)

  46. Its alright!! I can learn to like it!! And lets not forget that the manufacturers will not be giving away too much in the sound simulations as a rival engineer might be able to decipher something about design just from the sound!! turbo whistle at low revs, some backfire during downshifts and other kind of weird and wonderful noises might be edited out!! Lets see!!

  47. I listened to it in 1080P but there still seems to be a lot of loss in quality, or is that the sound of the turbo?

  48. Juampa Valverde
    5th August 2013, 4:47

    I hope Honda will make theirs sound like the RA168-E. That thing sounded manly!

  49. Sounds fine to me… personally never liked the V8s, always sounded like a tractor on crack cocaine compared to the V10s and the godawful grinding noise from the blown difusors didn’t help.

    However I was hoping for some sound of the turbo. Probably the only whining noise we’ll hear next year is from the Ferrari pits battling excess fuel consumption and massive engine failures ;)

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