Andy Cowell, Mercedes F1’s Engine Program Head, “Most Engineers Suffered Hearing Damage With V8s and V10s”

Ahead of the 2014 Formula One season, the sport bid goodbye to the V8 engines, a move that did not go down well with a number of fans. What polarised them even further was the introduction of V6 turbo power units with energy recovery systems.

A lot of the ire had to do with the sudden shift from screaming V8 engines to the dull rumble of V6 turbos. It also took away the noise aspect of the sport, which many felt was an attractive feature of Formula One. However, Mercedes’ engine program head, Andy Cowell admitted that he was glad that the screamers had gone.

Now, it has been almost 6 years, and the complaints about the lack of sound are minimal. While there are some pockets of dissent, it is not as overblown as it was in 2014, as the fans have grown used to the sound.

“I think that in 2014, none of our engines were properly adjusted. Now everyone has adjusted their engine well. I think that makes the sound pleasant. The volume is therefore not very high, but it still makes quite a lot of noise,” Cowell told Motor Sport Magazine.

The noise gulf was far more prevalent, especially when compared to the GP2 cars of that year, as they still had loud engines, It was only later on, that Formula 2 adopted the turbocharged engines, thus placing them on par with F1 cars. 

“The supporting classes now also run on turbo engines, so the sounds all sound a bit the same. I think we see more families coming to the circuit as a result,” he said. 

According to Cowell, a number of team personnel on the grid suffered from long term hearing damage over the years in Formula 1. Fortunately, the sound emitted from the turbo V6’s is far more bearable for the crew members. 

“With those screaming V8 and V10 engines, children definitely did not get close to the circuit. You don’t do that to your child. Many of us in the industry have suffered hearing damage, so I think it’s a good step forward.”