F1's new, softer turbocharged sound leaves Australians claiming breach of contract

Formula One returned to Melbourne this past weekend for the opening round of the 2014 World Championship. Much has changed during the off-season, not least the engine regulations mandating all-new,  1.6-liter turbocharged V-6 “power units,” with greater emphasis placed on the electric KERS system.

This change has had a drastic effect. It’s shaken up the grid – something hardcore F1 fans have enjoyed – but more notably transformed the iconic whine of a Formula One racer into a vague burble – something F1 fans have vehemently lamented.

The sound is so bad, in fact, that the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, the group that staged the race, claims Bernie Ecclestone and his F1 management group may be in breach of contract.

Sound a bit extreme? Watch this comparison video to hear the difference.

Andrew Westacott, CEO of the AGPC, told Fairfax Radio that the new, quieter sound was “a little bit duller than it’s ever been before,” and that given the premium a nation must pay to host F1 (Australia paid a reported $45 million for this year's race), the organization plans to study the contracts for any apparent breaches: “There has probably been some,” Westacott said.

AGPC chairman Ron Walker, who remains close friends with Ecclestone, was a little more outspoken, telling Melbourne newspaper The Age that F1’s leader was “horrified” by the quiet drone. “It's clearly in breach of our contract,” Walker said. “I was talking to him (Ecclestone) last night and it's not what we paid for. It's going to change.”

Fans, too, were distressed by the lack of noise. And what little noise there was sounded more like a herd of elephants with bad flatulence.