Formula 1 hopes to solve its sound problem by introducing exhaust microphones to improve the experience for television viewers, the sport's commercial managing director Sean Bratches has revealed.
F1 has suffered from a lack of sound thanks to quieter hybrid engines, and whilst the sport's bosses have tried various 'fixes', such as a trumpet attachment and the addition of a third exhaust exit, the extreme noise and emotion produced by the V8, V10 and V12 engines before, remains a distant memory.
It's hoped the problem will be addressed when the next generation of engines is introduced in 2021, but until then, it's hoped the addition of an exhaust microphone will boost the volume and provide TV audiences with a more visceral experience.
"One of the things that we want to amplify going forward are the sounds of the sport, because they are viscerally moving to fans and critically important in all the research that we do," Bratches revealed to Reuters.
F1 is working with respected Australian producer David Hill on the innovation, which will require a microphone capable of withstanding extreme temperatures.
"He’s [Hill] working with a German concern to develop a ceramic microphone that we can actually adhere to the exhaust pipe to get the true amplification of sound for fans."
